Melting the Ice
by animegamer89
Summary: Rewritten! Post "The Boiling Rock." Zuko and Katara are captured by Azula, and they must work together to reunite with the gang. Overlaps with "The Southern Raiders. Zutara.
1. Cracking the Ice

**Authors Notes: **

**I'm rewriting this story. I was going over it, and I saw all the spelling errors, grammar errors, and some of it just read weird. I will keep all the best parts of it, but the plot is going to be different. I hope you like the new version; Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender. It is the property of its creators and Nickelodeon. **

**Chapter 1: Cracking the Ice**

It had been two days since Sokka and Zuko got back from the Boiling Rock, the Fire Nation's top prison. They managed to get out Hakoda, Suki, and a Fire Nation prisoner named Chit Sang. It was an accomplishment that the two young men were proud of since no one had ever successfully escaped from the Boiling Rock before. However, even though Zuko was proud that he did something good, he felt concerned for Mai. He knew that she held off the guards, and allowed them to escape. If it wasn't for her they would have been boiled alive in the volcanic lake, but Zuko couldn't help but imagine what Azula was doing to her.

He was alone thinking of all the terrible things that could happen to her in the prison, but he eventually realized that he was overreacting. He knew Mai was strong and that she could take care of herself with or without her weapons. Plus Tai Lee was there as well. He may have thought that an ostrich horse had more sense than her, but he knew he could count on her to protect Mai.

He began to wonder how he felt about Mai, though. True, they dated, but what about now. It seemed unlikely that she was going to forgive him for dumping her like that, and she seemed to disagree with his reasoning to join up with the Avatar. However, they did seem to want to help one another, despite their opposing arguments. When he got home, if he got home, Zuko was hoping that they could still be friends, but that seemed like such a distant time from what Zuko was thinking about.

"Hey Zuko!" yelled Sokka.

Zuko perked up, his thoughts on Mai interrupted. He looked toward Sokka who had a curious expression on his face.

"Look, I've been wondering, would you be willing to give me a hand with my sword fighting?"

"Sword fighting?" asked Zuko a little confused.

"Don't play dumb," said Sokka, "I saw your saber when you came here."

Zuko thought about it for a minute. It was an odd request from Sokka, but then again, it was Sokka. Still, the two had set aside their differences from the past, and Zuko was intent on solidifying his position with him.

"Sure," said Zuko.

"Really? Alright!" he noticed Zuko staring at him, "I mean…that's cool."

"Wait, why do you need my help?" he asked out of curiosity.

"Oh, no reason," said Sokka innocently, "Just wanted to, you know, spar."

Before Zuko could say anything, Sokka ran off in a giddy sort of mood. Somehow, seeing Sokka act this way did little to reassure him.

**xXxXx**

"You want me to what?" asked Suki.

"I want you to sit right here," said Sokka.

He set Suki down, and ran off to get his sword. Just then, Zuko walked in carrying his own sword, and then, he noticed Suki. He saw the expression of confusion on her face, and he noticed Sokka running back to her excited. He looked back and forth between the two, and rolled his eyes as he put two and two together.

'So that's why he wanted to spar,' he thought to himself.

"Ready?" asked Sokka as he held his sword.

Zuko faced Sokka on the opposite side, and just before they could begin, Aang chimed in.

"What's going on?" asked Aang.

"Aang, go away," said Sokka, "We're doing man…stuff."

Aang noticed the swords, and his face lit up.

"Are you guys having a sword fight?" asked Aang excitedly, "Don't start yet, I'll be back."

Before Sokka could protest, Aang sped off. Two minutes later, the entire group came, except for Hakoda, who said he was going hunting earlier.

"You brought everyone?" yelled Sokka.

"I told them what you and Zuko were going to do, and they all wanted to come. Is that alright?" asked Aang innocently.

"Oh, no sure, it's fine Aang. I have no problem with the _entire_ group watching," he replied, his voice seething with sarcasm.

"Glad to hear it Sokka," he replied before returning to face the group, "He said it's OK to watch!"

Sokka slapped his forehead, causing Suki to giggle. Zuko couldn't help but smirk at the sight of Aang foiling someone else's plan for once. He looked around before he noticed Katara giving a smile at Aang.

She felt him stare at her, and she quickly turned his way. Zuko's heart nearly skipped a beat as she gave him a glare colder that the ice at the poles. He quickly turned away, and scratched his head.

"Let's get this over with," sighed Sokka drawing the blade, his good mood gone.

Zuko turned to face Sokka.

"Don't you want to wait for your dad?" he asked.

"Don't you think you should worry about me kicking your butt?" said Sokka, confidently taking his stance.

Zuko smirked, slung his swords on his back, and grabbed them with his right hand. He slowly drew them out, holding the two blades together as one, and got into a stance and waited patiently.

"No firebending," said Sokka.

"Fine," said Zuko.

Sokka lunged at Zuko, and swung. Zuko deflected the strike and delivered one of his own. Sokka dodged, and the two began to deliver blows to one another. As he did, Zuko looked at the attacks with great intent, and never once removed his gaze from him. He analyzed every aspect of his opponent with exceptional ability: Sokka's expressions, his footwork, and the rhythm of his movements. He quickly took all the factors into account, and delivered the appropriate responses to Sokka's attacks.

As the deadly dance of clashing metals went on, Hakoda entered the area, overhearing his son's battle cries from further into the temple. He approached behind Katara and Aang, and began to observe his son's newfound strength. A smile of pride crept up along his lips as he saw his son hold his own.

"He's become a lot stronger," said Hakoda.

The others noticed him, before returning their attention to the fight.

"Yeah," responded Suki in a sigh of admiration.

"Go Prince Zuko!" yelled Chit Sang randomly.

As the fight dragged on, Zuko felt impressed. He saw that Sokka had come a long way from being the boy who he poked in the head with the butt of a spear. Despite using every advantage that he gained posing as a non-bender, Sokka was able to hold his own, and counter all of his attacks with blocks and attempted strikes. Eventually, they came to a deadlock and separated from one another, not once breaking eye contact or wavering in their stances.

"Not bad," said Zuko.

"Same goes to you," said Sokka getting ready for another strike.

Zuko smirked, "I hope you don't hate me," he said.

"What for?"

"For embarrassing you in front of your girlfriend," replied Zuko.

Zuko grabbed the handle of his sword with his other hand, and separated the two blades. Everyone gasped, except for Aang who was familiar with Zuko's sword fighting, and Toph, who couldn't even see what was going on. He charged at Sokka twirling like a tornado and spinning the swords in a flurry. Sokka tried his best to fend off the attacks, but every time he deflected one sword, the other sword struck out. Zuko was not giving Sokka the opportunity to counterattack, and all the Water Tribe warrior could do was defend. Zuko pressed the attack until he got his opening, and in a few quick moves, he disarmed Sokka, and pointed a sword at his chest.

"I win," said Zuko.

"You cheated!" yelled Sokka, "You used two swords!"

"No I didn't," said Zuko, "Technically, I used two halves of one sword.

Sokka opened his mouth to protest, but closed it.

"I hate you," he said exasperated.

Zuko just smiled. "I knew you would."

Zuko put the swords together and extended a hand, but Sokka looked at it.

"Am I supposed to see something?" asked Sokka.

"It's called a handshake," said Zuko sternly.

"Oh, uh, thanks, I guess," said Sokka before clasping and shaking Zuko's hand.

"You're a good swordsman," praised Zuko.

"Thanks," said Sokka.

Sokka went back to the others. Everyone congratulated him, especially Hakoda, who was very proud of his son. Zuko smiled weakly, jealous of Sokka for having such a loving father. He sheathed his swords, and turned to walk away.

"Hey!"

Zuko stopped, and turned around to see Suki with her arms crossed.

"Yes, um, Suki?"

"Do you have time for one more fight?" she asked.

Everyone looked at her. Zuko was particularly surprised that she would want to spar with him.

"Sure, if you want," answered Zuko.

"Good," said Suki.

"Suki," began Katara, "Are you sure you're ok? I mean you just got out of prison!"

"Katara, I know you're concerned, but don't worry, I'll be fine," said Suki.

Katara sighed, and stepped back glaring at Zuko. Zuko caught a glimpse of it and looked away, understanding what it meant.

"Sokka, lend me your sword," said Suki.

Sokka gulped and handed his sword over to Suki. Suki walked over to Zuko, and got into a stance. Zuko pulled and separated his swords before getting into his own stance.

"Just so you know, I'd like you to bend; I don't want you to hold back," said Suki.

"Only if you don't," said Zuko.

Suki smirked, and that was the only answer that he needed. This time, he made the first move. He ignited his swords and shot jets of fire at Suki. She dodged the attacks quickly, and charged. When she closed the gap, she took swings at Zuko. Zuko noticed that she fought differently from Sokka, and most swordsmen he fought against. She was more direct in her attacks, and she was faster. The fight continued on, and suddenly, Suki disarmed one of Zuko's swords.

"She did it!" shouted Katara, "Suki's going to win."

"Not yet Katara," said Hakoda, "the fight's not over until it's over.

Everyone watched on, and saw that even though Zuko was only using one weapon, he seemed more focused in the fight, no longer having to worry about coordination between two swords. Suki took a swing, but Zuko arched his back to dodge. Using that momentum, he kicked the sword out of Suki's hands, and from the kick, Zuko let go of his sword, somersaulted, grabbed the sword out of the air as he landed, and charged again. He took another swing at Suki, but she grabbed his wrist and disarmed him, turning the fight into a hand to hand match. The two threw punches and kicks, and on occasion, attempted take downs. Suddenly, Suki drew out a dagger and swiped it at Zuko, causing him to step back.

"When did you get that?" asked Zuko.

"Just a little something I swiped from the warden," replied Suki.

"Then let's make this fair," said Zuko smirking.

He drew out his pearl dagger, and took a stance. The two circled one another, and in a brief moment charged. It was decided at that: a deadlock. Zuko had his dagger pressed against Suki's neck, and Suki's dagger was poised at his heart.

"Want to call it a tie?" asked Zuko.

"Fine, I'm satisfied," said Suki.

The two lowered their weapons, and stepped away from one another. Zuko nodded his head in acknowledgement. Suki did the same as Sokka rushed over to her.

"Sukiareyouokhedidn'thurtyoudidhe?"

Suki could make out her name, "ok," and "hurt."

"Sokka, I couldn't understand a word you said," said Suki.

Sokka pulled her into a hug, "It doesn't matter. You're ok."

"Of course, I'm better than you after all."

**xXxXx**

Everyone was still talking about the match between Suki and Zuko at dinner. Zuko got some praise, but Suki got applause. Zuko heard the conversations as he approached the campfire from his room, and despite most of the praise going to Suki, he didn't seem to mind much. Three years of being an outcast made any praise toward him feel strange. He grew a preference toward the quiet, and the shadows mostly because it gave him more freedom to do what he pleased without having other people be too critical about him.

But now that he had comrades, he felt more inclined to step into the light every now and then.

"You're quite the fighter," Hakoda told Suki, "If you lived during my mother-in-laws time, you'd have men from all over the south-pole begging you for your hand in marriage."

"Thank you, I guess," said Suki blushing.

"Hey Sparky! Quit dawdling, dinner's over here!" shouted Toph.

Zuko snapped back to reality, and quickly approached the campfire. Everyone stopped talking, and he responded by treading lightly.

"I'm just going to get my food, and go back to my little corner," said Zuko as he got congee from the pot.

"Good," muttered Katara, "I've seen enough of you today."

Hakoda and Sokka both raised eyebrows at Katara's statement. Zuko froze momentarily, but got his food and walked away. Before Zuko could get very far, Sokka cleared his throat.

"Hey Zuko! Do you want to eat with us?" he called out.

Zuko stopped dead in his tracks, and turned around to face Sokka.

"What?" asked Zuko.

"Look, I've had my doubts about you, but our time at the Boiling Rock, well…it's changed my opinion," said Sokka, "So come on, join us."

Zuko thought about it, and after a moment, walked over to join them. Katara had a look of horror on her face. She was thinking how her brother could possibly ask Zuko of all people to join them for dinner. What's worse was that everyone, including her own father was warming up to him; only she gave him the cold shoulder.

Even though Zuko was slowly becoming accepted, there was still an awkward feeling that he gave that made everyone quiet. After sitting between Sokka and Aang, Sokka spoke up.

"So, um, great sword fight," said Sokka.

"Err, yeah, really…fun," responded Zuko.

Sokka rubbed his neck, not knowing what to say next. This time Suki spoke up.

"So, Zuko," she began, "You're pretty good at non-bending martial arts.

"Yeah," added Sokka quickly, "You're the first bender I've met who doesn't rely on bending all the time."

"Well, it's not too hard for me to transition between the two" said Zuko.

"Why is that?" asked Aang.

"My people have a proud warrior tradition, we-"

"Proud?" interrupted Katara, "So, you pride yourselves in killing innocent lives? Aren't you civil."

"Katara," said Hakoda sternly, "don't be rude."

"I'm sorry dad," said Katara, false innocence in her voice, "I didn't know it also applied to people from the Fire Nation. Please, continue 'Prince' Zuko."

Zuko didn't say anything. He just stared at her for a moment before getting up.

"Actually, I just remembered, I have prepare Aang's lesson," said Zuko.

"Wait, Zuko hold on-" began Sokka.

"Thank you for inviting me to join you," interrupted Zuko before politely bowing. After that, he walked into the darkness of the temple.

The campfire was quiet.

"Nice going Sugar Queen," said Toph.

"What?" said Katara.

"Ever since he's got here, he's been nothing but nice to us," explained Toph, "Don't you think you could drop the angry, bitter woman routine?"

"Why should I?" asked Katara.

"Look, Katara, I know he's done a lot of messed up things to us, but he's changed," said Sokka, "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have gotten dad or Suki out."

"That's right," said Hakoda and Suki in unison.

"Oh please," said Katara, "that's one thing. That doesn't automatically make him good."

"He's a good teacher," said Aang.

"So am I," said Katara.

"He's not as anal about things as you are," said Toph.

"What did you say?" demanded Katara.

"That's true," Sokka muttered to Suki.

"Sokka!" yelled Katara.

"What? It's true," said Sokka.

As the two water tribe siblings began to argue, Hakoda decided to take a walk.

**xXxXx**

Hakoda was walking in another part of the temple when he saw Zuko sitting down by the edge of a pagoda, and talking to himself in the courtyard.

"Rgh, stupid girl," muttered Zuko casting stones into the ravine, "Why am I even trying to get her forgiveness? She'll never give it to me, but I still try. Am I going crazy?"

"Keep talking to yourself like that, and people will think you are," said Hakoda.

Zuko whipped around, and saw the Water Tribe chief.

"Sir, um, good evening," said Zuko.

"Don't call me 'sir," corrected Hakoda, "My name is Hakoda. You can call me that from now on."

"Oh, um, thanks?" said Zuko, surprised at Hakoda's pleasant manner.

Hakoda sat down next to Zuko, and looked across the canyon.

"You know, I've noticed Katara's behavior towards you. Is there anything going on between you two?" asked Hakoda.

"Why don't you ask her?" said Zuko sadly, "I'm sure she'll give you all of the information and more."

"Really," responded Hakoda, "Well, I'd like to hear your side of the story."

"My side?" asked Zuko, "Well, you won't like it."

"Regardless," said Hakoda.

Zuko took a deep breath.

"Okay," said Zuko, "It all started last Winter…"

In the course of an hour, Zuko told Hakoda his story on how he met the Avatar, met Hakoda's children, his fights with them, and how he acted toward Katara. He told him how he tied her to a tree, about their fight at the North Pole, and what happened at Ba Sing Se.

"… and that's why we aren't on good terms," finished Zuko.

Hakoda simply stared at Zuko.

"You really are something you know that," said Hakoda, "Most would have given up by then. What drove you to do the things you did?"

Zuko thought for a moment.

"My nation; it was the only way I could go home, the only way to get my father's approval," said Zuko, "I managed to succeed."

There was another silent moment between the two.

"And when you did," began Hakoda, "was it everything you thought it was going to be?"

Zuko fell silent.

"No, it wasn't worth it. I really felt like a fool more than a prince," he managed to say.

Hakoda looked into his eyes, and he could tell he was telling the truth.

"I see," said Hakoda as he got up, "I can see you're not the 'monster' Katara and Sokka made you out to be."

Hakoda then began to walk away.

"Thank you," blurted out Zuko, "For listening.

Hakoda stopped. He looked at Zuko, and nodded at him. Afterward, he continued to walk away. Zuko sighed; he was tired and he needed to go to sleep. He got up, and went to his room.

**xXxXx**

Hakoda approached the campfire, and saw that the arguing had died down.

"Where were you?" asked Katara.

"Talking with Zuko," answered Hakoda.

"Oh? Not an enlightening conversation I take it," said Katara.

"Oh, just his version of fighting with all of you, and what he went through the past year," he answered again.

"Really," said Katara.

"What did he say?" asked Aang.

"Yeah, I'm curious to know too," said Toph.

"Well, he's not as bad as you portray him," said Hakoda.

"Don't trust anything he says," muttered Katara.

"Now hold on Katara, you don't know him," said Sokka.

"Oh, and you do?" shot back Katara.

"No, I don't really know," said Sokka, "…none of us do."

"Well I know enough," said Katara before storming away from camp.

She left quickly so that no one could stop her. Everyone was quiet for the rest of the night, confused by Katara's increasingly hostile attitude toward the group's newest member.

**So there is the **_**new **_**first chapter. I just fleshed out a lot of the scenes, and expanded on selected dialogue portions. The real changes won't be occurring until the next chapter. Thank you for reading, and please review.**


	2. UnderstandingSort Of

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender. It is the property of its creators and Nickelodeon. **

**Chapter 2: Understanding…Sort Of**

The afternoon in the Western Air Temple was the same as always. Zuko was teaching Aang, and as always, Katara was leering at Zuko, making sure he didn't pull anything funny. Aang learned quickly, mastering the moves as if he had been doing them his whole life, and there were times when Zuko thought all he was doing was giving Aang a quick review and not actually teaching him. But there were times when Zuko needed to intervene when he noticed Aang was repeating mistakes all over again.

"No, like this," said Zuko trying to show Aang how to properly execute a lunging fire kick.

He demonstrated the move again, and when he finished, Aang got into position.

"Like this?" asked Aang.

Aang tried the move again, but when he landed, he lost his balance, and landed hard on his bottom. Toph was walking by when this happened, and started laughing.

"What's wrong Twinkletoes?" she asked, "Don't airbenders know how to land when they fly?"

Aang and Katara shot Toph a look, but she didn't notice. Zuko approached Aang, and helped him up as Aang was rubbing his bottom to ease the sore.

"Sorry Zuko," apologized Aang.

"Don't worry, this is pretty advanced stuff," said Zuko, "If it makes you feel better, I never got this move right the first time either."

"Really?" asked Aang.

"Yeah," said Zuko, "Azula however, she could do everything right the first time around. I hated that."

"Why?" said Katara, "Because you were outdone by your little sister, or because you aren't a good fire bender?"

Zuko stared at her, fists clenched, but he bit his tongue. A half of him was screaming to yell at her to shut up, but other half told him to endure. He had been insulted ever since Azula had more promise as a future Fire Lord, and a few more from Katara wasn't going to kill him. He returned his attention to Aang, who now wore a look of concern for his teacher.

"Just remember to tighten your body up. The smaller you make your self, the faster you'll deliver the attack and land successfully. Anyway, I think that's all for today," he replied keeping his composure.

Zuko walked away in another direction, but Toph, sensing an irregularity in Zuko's body rhythm, quickly followed him. He began to cross is arms, and walk heavily, venting his frustrations on the ground. It didn't take him long to notice the little earth bender walking with him, and beginning to copy his mannerisms as he did, due to the fact that the pebbles on the ground shook as she did.

"Is something wrong?" he began.

"Yeah, you," she replied.

"What did I do now?"

"Nothing, and that's what's bothering me."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't get it; Katara constantly insults and berates you, and you do nothing. I mean if it were someone else doing it to you, you would at least say something. Why take all the flak?"

Zuko stopped walking for a moment, and Toph did the same to hear what Zuko had to say.

"It's her right to, after everything I've done. If you were there, you may feel the same way," said Zuko.

Toph let out a sigh of exasperation.

"Oh come on! Would you quit falling on your sword for one day, and give it a rest!" she shouted.

Zuko looked at Toph with wide eyes.

"Seriously, you're starting to sound like Katara with all your self imposed guilt trips, and weepy, mopey attitude. I mean, we already have one whiney person filling out that role, and we don't need two."

"So, you're saying I should yell back at Katara, in front of everyone; great thinking Toph. Maybe then, everyone will see just how much I've changed."

"Yeah like that," said Toph with an encouraging tone, "I mean, I'm not telling you to have an all out war with her, but you know, defend your position. Let her know you have changed, you're going to stay and help out, and that you won't be intimidated anymore."

Zuko was quiet for a while, before walking off. Toph simply stood there, but made a small grin. She felt Zuko's heartbeats, and the rhythm was not as heavy as it was earlier.

"It feels good to help," she said patting herself on the back.

**xXxXx**

Katara set herself down with a pot for food, and the ingredients that she had managed to get from foraging on the cliff tops. She filled it with water from the fountain, and began to heat it up when Aang approached her. He had a concerned look on his face, and this began to worry Katara.

"Is something wrong Aang?" she asked.

Aang sat down next to her.

"Katara, I wanted to talk about the way you treat Zuko," he answered.

"…Oh" was all she said, "Does this have anything to do with earlier today?"

"Not just today but the past week," said Aang, "I know that you and Zuko haven't seen eye to eye in the past, but I want you to stop picking on him. He's really serious about helping us, and he's done more than enough to prove it. Can't you just be satisfied with that and move on?" he asked.

Katara's eyes were as wide as a full moon. She looked away, scowling at the thought of simply letting her grudge toward Zuko go. She turned to face Aang, her scowl receded quickly, but not enough. Aang caught only a glimpse of it, and the sight of her face like that turned Aang's concern into worry.

"How can I move on? I was the first one to think that he changed and look what happened. You got shot by Azula, and we almost lost you. So, forgive me if I can't be as forgiving as you."

Aang took in Katara's answer with a grain of salt. It hurt him to see her upset or angry, and tried quickly to find a way to defend Zuko. He thought long and hard, and finally he had his answer.

"Katara, did I ever tell you about my friend Kuzon?" he asked.

Katara looked at him skeptically, sensing what Aang was trying to do.

"You've mentioned him," she replied.

"Well, he had this aunt who owned a flower shop, and she showed us this one flower called a mist lily. It says that when it first blooms, the center of it is bluish-grey, but when it matures, it changes into a random color. Now the thing was that each of the lilies changed color individually, and at different times."

"So what does this have to do with Zuko?" she asked.

"In a way, Zuko's like a mist lily. Maybe back then he was still grey, but now his true color has shown. He probably just needed a little more time before he found what he was looking for.

"That's a great story Aang, but it still won't change my opinions of him."

Aang rubbed his head not knowing what else to do.

"Well, I guess…the rest of us started to trust him after a little time. Maybe you also need a little bit more time before you accept him also," said Aang softly, "See you at dinner."

"See you, Aang," she replied.

Aang let Katara get back to work with dinner, and walked away sullenly. Katara felt bad for letting Aang feel like he failed, but she couldn't help it. She didn't trust Zuko, and no story was going to nudge her to it either. If Zuko really had changed, he was going to have to prove it to her, and that was not something she intended to be easy for him to do.

She saw the stew beginning to boil, and the flavors were seeping into her nostrils. The more she looked at the bubbling meal, the more it looked like how she was feeling right now. She hated having to look like a bad person for mistrusting Zuko, especially since everyone had forgiven him, and the more this became apparent, the angrier she got.

Just then, she heard footsteps approach her from behind, and she immediately stopped working. She spun around, bending the stew, but paused when she saw that it was Sokka with his hands up in the air.

"I surrender," was all he could say.

Katara sighed as she returned the stew to the pot.

"Sokka don't scare me like that!" said Katara, "I thought you were…never mind."

"Who?" asked Sokka.

"… You know who."

Sokka rubbed his chin, and took a seat next to Katara. He began to stroke his chin as if he had Haru's facial hair, and pointed his nose into the air.

"Would this person happen to be…Zuko?" he said in a fake, haughty intellectual voice.

Katara appreciated Sokka's attempt to lighten up the situation, but she found it difficult to laugh.

"Who do you think?" she said softly, hiding her tone.

Sokka looked at his sister with sad eyes. He had not seen her this angry since their mother died all those years ago. He cleared his throat.

"You know, I saw Aang walk away from here; he's worried about you," he said.

"I know."

"And not just him; Toph, Suki, Dad, and me," added Sokka.

Silence.

"This isn't like you Katara. I mean there was that time with Jet in the forest, but you got over that. How is Zuko's situation different from Jet's? I mean other than the fact that Zuko chased us all over the world trying to get us."

"Is that even a serious question? How is he different from Jet?" she shouted in a burst of anger, "He's completely different; Jet was just a troubled kid bent on revenge, but Zuko? Zuko…is a snake."

"Really," said Sokka in disbelief, "Well, he's more like a komodo rhino than a snake, at least when he's talking to you. You know clumsy, awkward, that sort of thing. If anything, Jet was the snake. He's the one who used your feelings for him to fulfill his own ends."

"Zuko did the same thing in Ba Sing Se."

"Are you sure? I mean, maybe he was honest about your common ground. He could have betrayed you because he was scared. Change can be pretty scary considering it involved joining our team after all those fights and frustrations."

Katara looked to her brother.

"I'll save you some trouble Sokka," began Katara, "I know he helped you rescue dad, Suki, and whoever that other guy is, but that won't change my opinion of him. That's what I told Aang, and that's what I'm telling you right now."

Sokka put a hand on her shoulder, and she looked at him. There was concern in his eyes, and her expression softened.

"I'm not going to force you to like him Katara; these are your feelings after all," he said with a reassuring voice, "But please, respect our decision to trust him, and try not to be rough with him when we're around. To be honest, everyone is getting tired of your public displays of anger."

Katara looked away, and returned her attention to the stew.

"…alright, I'll keep it to myself," sighed Katara.

Sokka got up, and stretched.

"So, now that I've said my inspirational, heartfelt speech, what's for dinner?" he asked in his usual tone of voice.

Katara smiled at her brother, and was glad that something finally felt normal.

xXxXx

Zuko was lying down in his room, and thought about what Toph told him. She did bring up a valid point; maybe he should stand up for himself more. He had to admit, he was getting fed up with Katara's treatment toward him, but he closed his eyes and began to meditate on what course of action he should take next.

_**The quiet darkness of his mind flickered with light, and sound.**_

'_**What is this?' he heard himself whisper.**_

"_**Zuko! NO!" shouted a familiar voice.**_

'_**What? What happened?'**_

"_**I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Can you forgive me?"**_

'_**Why? What did you do? Who are you?'**_

_Knock Knock!_

His eyes slowly opened. He noticed that his room was darker than when he began to meditate. He realized his meditation session turned into a nap, and he snapped himself into a sitting position.

_Knock Knock!_

Quickly getting to his feet, he ran to the door, and opened it. His good eye widened, as he saw Katara standing there. He swallowed hard, at the sight of her frigid stare.

'What do I do?' he thought.

"Dinner's ready," was all she had to say.

"…oh, ok, I'll be there in a moment," said Zuko.

Katara simply walked off, but turned around and faced him.

"Look, you and I are both getting the feeling that enough is enough, and don't try to deny it. It's all anyone is talking about lately," said Katara.

Zuko immediately understood that Katara was talking about the two of them. His face went from soft to stern, and he stared straight into Katara's eyes.

"What did you have in mind?" he asked.

"Let it out," was her reply, "You've been itching to say something to me for the last couple of days, so go out and say it."

"There would be no point, I know what you're response is going to be."

"And what is my response, oh omnipotent prince," said Katara sarcastically.

"That I haven't changed, that I betrayed you at Ba Sing Se, and that nothing I say or do will ever change that. And quite frankly, you have every right to treat me like the scum of the world. But let me tell _you_ something right now," he said shifting his voice from frustrated to calm, "Whether you like it or not, whether you agree or disagree, I have changed, and I'm going to stay here for as long as Aang needs me. You can both accept that fact and tolerate my presence, or you can avoid me all together."

Katara was surprised at Zuko's tone of voice, at how even and tranquil it was. It resembled her voice from when she threatened him, and since then, he had always been sheepish around her and was trying to be lighthearted to show his change in demeanor. But she now saw a bit of Zuko that she had not expected: a determined side not fueled by rage of hatred. It sent a shock down her spine, and she didn't like it one bit.

"Well," she said keeping your composure, "You were right on all three of those points, I still don't believe you. But, you've done enough to show you won't try to hurt Aang, at least not right now."

"So, you still think I'm simply biding my time?"

"Better safe than sorry," said Katara.

Zuko walked passed her, and stopped right behind her, neither of them looking at the other.

"That's a wise move," said Zuko before peering over his shoulder, "If I were in your position, I would also think that; so, now what?"

"Nothing, don't do anything stupid and I won't say or do anything."

"…a ceasefire then? That sounds fine."

Katara turned around and went back to the eating area.

"Good to know we're on the same page," was all she could say to him as she stormed right by.

Zuko stood there looking at the ground, and let out a sigh as a drop of sweat rolled down his cheek.

"Yeah, same here," was all he could say.

**xXxXx**

Dinner was very unusual that evening; it was unusually quiet. Normally Zuko would try to be funny, though it never worked, or Katara would provoke him, or the gang would talk about their day. However, any thoughts about the day were pushed aside at the change in the air at dinner. They all stared back and forth between Zuko and Katara, as neither said a word, or even glanced at one another.

"Sooo…what did you learn today Aang?" began Teo.

"Um, Zuko taught me a jumping kick, and I landed hard on my butt. It was pretty…funny?" he said hoping to get a humorous response from the group.

Everyone tried to smile, but they were still put off by the cold war taking place in the group. All they could do was look back and forth between the two of them until Toph had enough of the silence.

"So, Katara, is this a new technique of yours?" asked Toph.

Katara snapped out of her silence, and looked at Toph.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Oh, I don't know, how about the fact that you and a certain someone aren't involved in the conversations tonight. Have you mastered some new technique that finally keeps the two of you quiet?"

"I thought you would like the fact that we aren't fighting," said Katara.

"There's a difference between not fighting, and…well, not fighting."

Zuko just stared at the two before finishing his meal. He had heard about the fights that Katara and Toph had on occasion, but he had never actually seen them. After deciding he didn't want to be involved in something that could possibly get out of hand, he finished his stew, set the bowl down, and got up.

"Excuse me, I'm going to bed, I'm tired," he said.

That broke the deadlock between Katara and Toph, who just looked in his direction. Zuko had a sullen expression on his face, and Toph didn't sense anything wrong with his statement, so no one said anything. He turned around, and walked away toward the temple dormitories.

"See you tomorrow Zuko," said Aang.

Zuko stopped, and looked back for a moment before going back to his room. When it appeared he was gone, Katara cleared her throat.

"To answer your question Toph, Zuko and I had a little chat before dinner," she began.

Hakoda, and everyone else turned their attention to her.

"And what did you talk about?" he asked his daughter.

"We discussed some of the group's concerns, and we've both agreed to stop provoking one another," was her reply.

They all let out a sigh of relief, but Aang still had some concerns about this new development. Katara immediately sensing his disapproval turned in his direction.

"Is something wrong Aang?" she asked.

"Katara," began Aang, "it's great that you and Zuko aren't you know, going at it anymore, but ignoring each other isn't exactly going to fix things. What is going to fix things, is you two talking to one another and finding a way to resolve your differences, together."

Katara sighed.

"You know I can't talk to Zuko without yelling at him or insulting him, Aang," she said to him, "We both know that it's just going to lead up to some fight, so why do that when we can just ignore each other and not fight at all?"

"Because all you're doing is running away from the problem," said Hakoda.

"Dad, this doesn't concern you," said Katara.

"Considering you're still my daughter, I believe this attitude of yours does concern me," he said firmly.

Katara just crossed her arms, and focused on the meal.

"When your mother died, I realized something," he began.

Katara turned to her father with interest.

"I realized that it couldn't continue: the raids, the constant fear of attack. Simply hiding from the Fire Nation wasn't going to save us, but confronting them, actually doing something to help stop them would," he explained to her.

"So, I should confront Zuko? Voice my problems? Like he would understand," she muttered.

Hakoda put a hand on her shoulder.

"You'd be surprised how much he understands your pain."

That did it. Feeling betrayed, Katara tore herself from her father's comforting grasp, and stormed off. Hakoda's head sank, and Sokka tried to go after her. The group became truly worried, and they were hoping that things would get better soon.

On the side opposite of the direction that Katara walked off from, a scarred prince was leaning against the column. His face was filled with shame from his eavesdropping and was sad that he had done this to her, but there was nothing he could do about it now. It was water under the bridge, and the water was not at all calm. He snuck back into his room, using his infiltration skills to avoid Toph's detection.

When he arrived at his room, he simply fell into the soft bed face first. As he adjusted himself on the mattress, he played what he had heard in his head over and over again.

'Is Hakoda right? Are we just running from the problem? If so, what is the problem? Is it the betrayal? ...No, it's something deeper, something else…'

He was sure about one thing, and it was something that Aang said.

Only he and Katara could fix this problem, and they could only do so together.

**Mist Lilies sound pretty cheesy, but I think that's a cool name.**

**Thank you for reading, and please review.**


	3. Captured

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender. It is the property of its creators and Nickelodeon. **

**Chapter 3: Captured**

It was morning in the Western Air Temple. The sun was beginning to rise and bathe the complex with its warming rays of light when Zuko walked through the courtyard. He was taking in the morning air, when he began to feel something was wrong. He couldn't exactly tell what it was, but it unsettled him. He looked around and didn't notice anything unusual, but it was still there.

A pebble skipped past his foot, and he turned around and saw Katara was standing behind him.

"What are you doing?" she asked, suspicious of his presence.

"I'm-do you get the feeling that something doesn't feel right?" asked Zuko.

Katara was about to say something witty when she noticed it also. Something definitely did not sit right with her, and oddly enough it wasn't Zuko. It took her a bit to notice, but she couldn't hear any birds, or feel any wind for that matter.

"It's too quiet," she said.

"…Wake the others, we've got to get out of here," said Zuko.

Before Katara could respond, a giant war balloon emerged from the ravine with Azula standing on the top of it laughing.

"Hello Zuzu! Did you miss me?" she cried before hurling a large, blue fireball at the former prince.

Zuko quickly sent his own flame to cancel the blast, and turned back to Katara.

"Hurry, get the others, I'll hold her off!" shouted Zuko before charging forward to fight his sister.

Azula leapt from the balloon to meet Zuko on the temple grounds. The two began to duel one another with unbridled ferocity, and very shortly that area became a spectacle of red and blue flames. While Zuko fought Azula, everyone had already awoken to the sound of the battle, so all Katara had to do was get everyone to load things on Appa and prepare for their escape.

"Where's Zuko?" asked Aang.

"He's fighting Azula right now," Katara answered.

"We have to help him!" said Aang.

Before Aang could help his teacher, Toph stopped him. She stood there for a moment before her eyes widened.

"Dai Li agents!" she shouted.

Agents had leapt from the giant war balloon as it rose up to the temple's ground level. As they landed, they all darted toward the Aang and the others, and a fight ensued. The Dai Li agents were caught off guard at just how strong the gang had become. In addition to their usual abilities, they had an additional Fire Bender, Chit Sang, and a legendary Water Tribe warrior, Hakoda, and other people who were helping them.

The gang had managed to hold their own against the Dai Li, and they saw them fall back. Now was their chance to escape. Haru and Toph quickly made a tunnel that led into the cliffs of the temple, and Appa was all set to go.

The gang soon saw that it was a good thing that they were ready because four more balloons appeared from beneath the ravine, attached their boarding ramps, and scores of Dai Li agents and Fire Nation soldiers poured into the temple.

"Zuko! Come on!" shouted Toph feeling the number of troops coming toward them.

Zuko heard Toph, and turned toward the group. As he did however, Azula launched two attacks, one following closely behind the other. Zuko noticed only one of them as he sent a fireball while running. The first of Azula's attacks was cancelled, but the second one quickly emerged from the blast of the first. Zuko, noticing the second blast as he ran, quickly turned and tried to make a flame wall to cushion the blast, but it was too late: the fire hit him square in the abdominals and exploded.

Azula smirked at the results, especially when Zuko's body became visible when the smoke cleared. He was down, but not out as he tried to get on his feet, remembering Toph's shouting.

When he finally did get his footing, he immediately bent forward, clutching his side in pain, and to make it worse, he was coughing up blood. His vision had trouble adjusting, and when he saw multicolored shapes of green, red, and blue he immediately limped in that direction.

The others saw Zuko hobbling over in their direction clutching his ribs. After a couple of steps, he collapsed on the floor, a sitting duck for Azula, who sent in the soldiers. Aang and Toph were about to go to rescue and intervene, when Katara surprisingly stepped forward.

"I'll go with you guys," she said.

Both of them smiled as she joined up, and the three of them charged to the prince's aid. Azula simply signaled to her forces to get her brother before the gang did, and a large number of agents and soldiers rushed to Zuko as well. Toph sent some boulders their way, and Aang shot some fire off at them to push them back. Katara lashed her water whips at any of the enemies that tried to go around them. They were about to reach Zuko when Sokka called out to them.

"Guys hurry up!" he yelled as stray agents made their way to him and the others.

"I'll get Zuko, you help the others get out of here," said Katara.

The two of them understood, and Toph made some walls to protect Zuko's body as Katara made her way over to him. Aang rushed back to support Sokka, and to tell Hakoda, Haru, the Duke, Teo, and Chit Sang to go through the tunnel while the rest of them held the others off. Katara managed to catch a glimpse of her father, who nodded in her direction before taking off into the tunnel, which was promptly sealed by Haru afterward. She felt tears well up, but she held them back to return to the task at hand and managed to get to Zuko.

As she got the prince, Suki, Sokka, Aang, and Toph had charged into the fray and were repelling as many enemies as they could while trying to draw attention away from Zuko and Katara's position. But there was no end to them; they kept coming in like droves of insects in hive mode.

"We can't hold them off like this forever!" said Sokka as he threw his boomerang at a Dai Li agent.

"We don't have to, just long enough for Katara to get Zuko out of there!" said Aang sending a powerful gust at a squad of Fire Nation soldiers.

Suki had managed to take a spear from a soldier, and began to take down the other enemies with it. She found it very difficult to take down an enemy without killing them, due to the amount of focus that she had to have to pull it off, but it was Aang's wish that she did so. Toph repelled approaching enemies with boulders and walls, but it became apparent to her that not even she could keep it up at the rate the enemy was coming. They had to fall back to recover from the ever growing onslaught.

"Hurry up Sugar Queen!" Toph shouted.

Katara had to heal Zuko enough for him to walk; it was the only way she could get both of her and him back to the others alive, and she knew she had only a limited amount of time to get Zuko awake. She drew out water from her pouches, and began to quickly heal him. After a few moments, Zuko coughed up blood, and his eyes opened to see a cringing water bender.

"Katara…?" he groaned.

"Get up!" was all she said.

Zuko, as quickly as he could, got on his feet, and Katara slung his arm over her shoulder. The two were making their way back to the others when Azula lunged in from behind. Aang saw this and shot a pillar up, but Azula used it simply as a skipping stone and landed right in front of Katara. She immediately attacked Katara who ducked, and set Zuko down. She lashed out with a water whip, and the two began to clash.

Seeing Katara in danger immediately made Aang lose focus as a Fire Nation soldier closed in on him. Sokka drew his sword and repelled the attack snapping Aang out of his daze.

"Sokka, Katara she's-"

"Yeah, I know," he responded.

Katara saw the droves of soldier closing in, and her friends losing ground. And to add to that, Azula's presence created a large buffer zone that she was in no way capable of surmounting on her own. Realizing that it must have been Azula's plan to capture Aang by dividing them up, she made a decision.

"Guy's get out of here! You have to escape!" she yelled.

Aang was horrified at what she had said, and as Azula lunged again, Katara ducked.

"I'm not leaving you!" he shouted.

"Aang, we don't have a choice! There's too many of them!" shouted Toph, "Suki get on Appa, we're going!"

Aang quickly made a bee line for Katara, but Sokka stopped him.

"Are you nuts? You'll get killed before you even reach her!" he shouted.

"But Katara!" shouted Aang.

Sokka looked to her sister, who gave him a hard, determined look. Sokka simply closed his eyes in understanding.

"We need to leave now," he said, trying to keep his composure.

"But-"

"Aang, you have to go! We can't risk losing you again!" screamed Katara.

Aang looked tearfully at Katara before running to Appa. Toph, and Sokka quickly followed and joined the others on the saddle before Aang mounted. He looked one last time at Katara, and tugged Appa's reins.

"Yip Yip!" he cried out.

Appa whipped his tail, blasting wind at the enemies before flying around the temple structure to the closest opening beyond the ravine they could find.

Azula looked at Katara and Zuko with evil looks in her eyes. Katara, seeing herself surrounded dropped the water, and hung her head in defeat.

"Take them to the holding cells."

The Dai Li and several soldiers hauled the two benders off to the airship, while the others gathered the injured from the attack, or looked for a way to pursue those who went into the tunnel.

**xXxXx**

Everything felt numb, but there was so much pain coursing throughout his body. Zuko wondered if he was dead, or if the spirits decided to have a little bit of fun before making their decision.

_THUD!_

Zuko's eyes quickly snapped open to the same foggy vision that he had before. After a moment, he began to see red, then metal, then grey sheets. His vision cleared, and he realized where he was. He tried to get up, but a sharp, familiar pain raked him in the side and he collapsed on a lumpy mattress adding more pain.

"Don't move too much," said a voice, "you'll make yourself worse than you already are."

He turned toward it, and saw Katara sitting facing a bolted vault door on a flimsy metal frame with a cotton pad an inch thick serving as a mattress. He couldn't tell that she was irritated in sharing the same cell with him, or in being defeated and taken prisoner. He remembered fighting Azula and running toward the group in order to escape, but that was it.

"How long was I out?" he asked weakly.

"An hour," she replied curtly.

After a moment of silence, Katara turned to him. He was trying to sit up, but was having trouble simply pushing himself up. As much as she didn't like him, she found the sight pitiful, and she got up to help him. He looked at her in a slight disbelief before looking away.

"Thanks, Katara," he said politely.

She just went back to her bed in response. Zuko held his ribs and gingerly prodded himself to check if he had broken anything, or if anything was in danger of rupturing. He winced as his finger grazed a bruise, but gave no indication to Katara that he was in pain.

Katara saw the state that Zuko was in, and sighed. She got up again and walked over to him.

"Take off your shirt," she ordered.

"Excuse me?" he said looking at her.

"You heard me, take it off," she said.

Zuko slowly complied with her orders, and began to undo his belt, loosening the outer vestment, and allowing himself to remove his shirt. He removed it slowly and painfully, and when it was removed, Katara began to examine it.

"This is bad," she said.

"How bad are we talking?" he asked.

"I can't tell for sure, but it's not good. If I had water, then I'd be able to patch it up, or at least get a better idea of what it is."

Katara got lost in her thoughts as she examined his body. Zuko noticed her red face.

"Are you ok Katara? You look…feverish," he commented.

"Oh," she said snapping out of her daze, "No, just frustrated."

Zuko got the feeling she wasn't being totally honest with her answer, but he didn't push it. Katara was probably still mad at him, and he didn't think taunting or prodding would help him, especially in his condition. As he began to put on his shirt, he heard footsteps, and turned to see Katara pacing back and forth with her hand on her chin.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Thinking," she said.

"About?"

"How we can get out of here."

Zuko stared at her as she paced back and forth like a pendulum, and it didn't take her long to notice the injured prince looking at her.

"Any suggestions would be nice," she said irritated by his apparent lack of help, "I mean, is there like some way of getting out of this airship and to the others?"

Zuko thought for a moment.

"Well, there is a way, but it's too dangerous."

"And being in your sister's custody is safer?"

Zuko thought again.

"…Good point," he replied before thinking, "Well…the only way I could think of to get out of here is-"

He stopped when he heard footsteps outside of the door. The lock clicked, and the door opened slowly revealing Azula. She entered the cell with an angry look etched on her face, and two Dai Li agents on both her left and right side.

"Where are they?" she demanded.

"Nice to see you too," muttered Zuko.

"Be silent traitor, you have no right to speak to me," she spat back before turning her attention to Katara, "Where are they?"

"I don't know," she said.

"Oh, I think you do. If anyone would know where the Avatar is, it's you. Now where is he?"

Katara stared right into Azula's eyes.

"Even if I did know, do you really think I would tell you?" she challenged.

Azula smirked.

"You're certainly brave, challenging me like that, and it's _so_ admirable to see someone so devoted to a cause," she said while walking around Katara, "But even one such as you, has a weakness."

She stopped right next to Zuko, and quickly sent her knee straight into his bruise. Zuko bit back a scream of pain, instead giving a grunt of frustration. He began to clutch his side, and act as if it didn't hurt as much as really did. He glared at his sister, who looked disappointed.

Katara was mortified at what just happened.

"Are you nuts? That could have killed him?" she screamed.

"Oh? How nice Zuzu, the water witch cares about you."

"No she doesn't, she needs me alive to teach the Avatar fire bending," he said before Katara could retaliate.

"Oh, is that so?" Azula kneed the bruise again, this time even harder. Zuko took the punishment while suppressing any sounds of discomfort, "I don't think that's the case; I know her type: the kind that can't stand by and let an injustice or any kind of suffering happen when she's around. You know the kind, I'm talking about, don't _you_ Zuzu?"

Azula kneed her brother again.

"Where are they?" she repeated.

Katara did not answer. Azula sent in knee after knee, but not once did Zuko lose his composure in front of his sister. Katara saw Azula's attacks turning into a frenzy and could hear the cracking of the ribs, but that's not what unsettled her. What did unsettle her was the fact that Azula was enjoying every moment of the act.

After a few more knees to the side, Zuko coughed up blood and fell onto the floor. He began to breathe so hard that Katara could hear the pain behind each breath.

"Now, will you tell me where the Avatar is?" she said coldly.

Katara looked at Zuko, who was reeling in pain. He turned his head to her, stared at her, and cringed his face. Katara understood the meaning.

"I don't know," she said, trying to keep her composure.

After a moment of silence, Azula burst out laughing as she looked down on her brother.

"Isn't this sweet Zuzu. You're willing to take punishment just so that she doesn't have to talk, how noble."

Zuko struggled to get up, but Azula cringed.

"Do you need help brother dear?"

She grabbed Zuko's hair and slowly pulled him up to eye level. Katara found it difficult to watch, and that confused her. For several weeks she had thought of all the ways that she could punish Zuko for what he did, or what he may have done. But actually seeing it done to him turned her stomach.

'I hate him, don't I?' she asked in horror of the sight, 'Why do I feel this way then?'

"If you want to talk so much, then why don't _**you**_ tell me where they are!" Azula screamed at her brother.

"You sound a little worked up," he managed to say, "What's wrong? Still shaken up about Mai and Ty Lee?"

That did it. She threw him to the floor, hard on his back, and she applied pressure to his chest with her boot.

"Who are you to tell me anything! You're just some filthy traitor who could never measure up to the standards of royalty! You're a disgrace to your people, a loser with no honor!"

Azula quickly composed herself, and took her boot off of her brother's body in a rough manner. She took a few steps away, when she looked to Katara.

"I will ask you one last time. Where. Are. They."

"Give it a rest," said Zuko, "She doesn't know anything."

"Protecting her, are you? You know it's that kind of attitude that got you banished in the first place," said Azula before signaling the Dai Li agents, "Take him to the interrogation room, we have loads to catch up on."

"Stop!" shouted Katara, causing everyone of them to look at her, "If you kill him-"

Azula slapped Katara hard across the cheek, and she fell to the floor. She looked up at the enraged princess, shocked that she had been hit, and Azula smiled wickedly at her. She and her retinue all left Katara alone in her cell as Zuko was hauled off.

**xXxXx**

Aang was tired, and above all, furious. He had left the one person in the world he would have sacrificed anything for in the hands of Azula. He was quiet the whole trip to who knows where in the Fire Nation.

Sokka, sensing his friend's anger and concern, scooted over to him.

"You wanna talk buddy?"

Aang didn't respond.

"You know, I'm still mad too. I don't want my sister there any more than you do."

"Then why? Why did we leave her behind?" Aang demanded.

"Because they would have killed us before we got close to them," said Toph.

"You don't know that!" Aang shot back, "Appa could have-"

"Been shot by lightning Aang!" she interrupted, "Azula is crazy strong; even without her fire bending, she could run circles around us, or did you forget about the invasion."

Aang was going to say something when Suki intervened.

"Look, Aang I know what you're thinking," she began, "but don't worry. Azula won't kill Katara."

"And how do you know?" he demanded.

"Hey, don't talk to her like that," cut in Sokka, but Suki put her hand on his shoulder.

"It's just a theory, but I know because of the number of soldiers that Azula had with her," said Suki, "Azula probably wanted you most of all, and knew she was going to need lots of soldiers in order to capture you. That's why Katara did what she did; to make sure you got away."

Aang was quiet for some time. His brain felt like it was in a printing press, and he needed some time to his thoughts.

"Suki has a point Aang," began Sokka, "If you're the one Azula wants she won't risk killing her only sources of information. They'll live."

"That's right," began Toph, "And besides, Katara's one of the toughest people I know. She can handle herself. Plus, Zuko's with her; he'll make sure nothing bad happens to her."

"…Whatever…" said Aang sullenly.

As much as he was counting on Zuko to protect Katara, that's what bothered Aang the most. He still hadn't forgotten about Ba Sing Se, how he and Katara were alone together, and how close they were standing toward one another. He was worried then, but he was even more worried now. Zuko had changed, and because of the field trips that members of the group had been taking with him, they had all become a lot closer to him. He was worried that even though Katara hated Zuko, she would get closer to him now that they were alone.

He sighed in distress, and piloted Appa.

"Hey, what is that, Toph?" asked Suki

**xXxXx**

Many hours had passed since Zuko was taken to the interrogation room. Katara sat on the mattress huddled in a ball. She wondered what was taking them so long.

'They're really interrogating Zuko,' she thought, 'No, maybe they're celebrating, and they just want me to think it's an interrogation.'

She realized that that conspiracy theory was an utterly ridiculous thought. If there was a celebration, she might have been able to hear it. And besides, she couldn't get the events from earlier out of her head. Azula joyfully harming her own brother like a rabid hogmonkey. It was horrifying for her because of her Water Tribe background; she had been raised to value her family, to treasure them, and the way that Azula treated a member of her own family was unthinkable to her.

The more she thought about it, the more she was confused on where she stood on Zuko.

'Is he still an enemy, or is he truly an ally?' she wondered.

The door clicked, snapping Katara out of her daze. Two Dai Li agents were holding Zuko by the arms and threw him in the holding cell. He was beaten, bruised, and bloodied, and Katara felt her legs carry her to his mangled form.

"Zuko," she involuntarily whispered.

One of the agents tossed her a small skin of water.

"Heal him," he ordered, "He's to be taken in for interrogation tomorrow."

"Just so you can do this to him again? I refuse!" she challenged fiercely.

"Then we take him in for interrogation like that," he answered.

Zuko wouldn't survive another interrogation in his current state. She looked at the skin, and couldn't help think about using it to escape. But she realized that even with all her water bending skills, she couldn't take on the entire crew and Azula with such little water. And besides, there was still Zuko to consider. Even if she could take out the guards in front of her, she couldn't defend herself and Zuko as they made their escape. Plus, she was unfamiliar with the layout of an airship; one wrong turn could spell death for them.

She took the skin, and started to get to work. Water responded to her command as it wrapped around her hands, and she began to heal him. The damage was worse than she previously thought: she could feel broken ribs, and internal bleeding. She worked quickly to patch him up, but it was easier said than done. It took her thirty minutes to mend his body, and another thirty to bring him back to consciousness.

"K-Katara?" he began.

"Zuko!" she said almost joyfully.

Dirt flew straight into the water, turning it into mud. The Dai Li agents bent the mud out, left the cell, and locked up the door.

Katara wanted to heal him further, but it couldn't be helped. She began to help Zuko up to the bed, and laid him down comfortably. She moved the hair out of his face to help him cool off, when she realized what was happening: she was taking care of him. She became so confused upon the realization; she had not forgiven him, and her hatred began to return.

But it was difficult to maintain it. She didn't have the heart to be mad at Zuko, at least not right now. He was way too injured to put up with her usual bantering, and she decided to let him have her fury when they got out. If they got out, and if he recovered.

"I didn't say anything," he mumbled with his eyes closed.

"I know," she replied coolly, "You wouldn't be in this state if you did."

It was quiet.

"I've got to tell you-," said Zuko before succumbing to exhaustion.

She looked toward him with curiosity.

"Later Zuko, just get some rest."

**So there is the new version of the story. I hope you all liked it.**

**Thank you for reading and please review.**


	4. The Plan

**Author's Notes: If you've noticed the summary, I have chosen to rewrite the story. It has a different plot, and a different purpose for Zuko. Don't worry, it is still going to be Zutara. I hope you enjoy the new storyline, and this next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender. It is the property of its creators and Nickelodeon.**

**Chapter 4: The Plan**

"…Whatever…" said Aang sullenly.

While Aang was wallowing in his thoughts, Toph felt her way to the luggage.

_Zuko slipped away from the others when Hakoda, Sokka, and Katara hugged one another after their separation from the failed invasion. He went to his room, and Toph followed him. She waited outside his room in the temple for a few minutes, trying to figure out what he was doing. But she quickly got bored of doing that, and knocked on the door._

"_Busy," said Zuko through the door._

_ She opened the door anyway._

"…_Toph, is that you?" he said, not too surprised._

"_However did you know?" she said with light tone in her voice._

"_You opened the door even though I said I was busy. If it was Aang, or the others they'd knock again harder, or say 'Sorry Zuko, I'll come back later," he answered._

"_Well, aren't you sharp. Anyway, come on, Sugar Queen is in a good mood, so she might be making some stew."_

_ Toph turned around back to the kitchen area when Zuko wrapped his hand around hers. The act made Toph blush a bit._

"_Don't you already have a girlfriend?" she asked._

"_No, that's not it, I want you to do something for me," said Zuko._

"_Add a please, and maybe I'll consider it."_

"_Please Toph, not now," he said seriously._

_ Toph switched from lighthearted to concerned._

"_Alright, what's up?"_

"_How good is your sense of touch?" asked Zuko._

"_Pretty good, why?"_

"_Feel these two items," he said politely._

_ Toph stretched out both hands. Zuko put a scroll in one, and held his knapsack over the other enough for it to graze her hands. Toph touched the items firmly, and felt the two materials and let them go._

"_Did you get a good feel? Would you remember if you had to?" said Zuko._

"_What's this about?" she asked._

"_More than likely, the little adventure that Sokka and I had is going to attract the attention of my father. He'll be sending his best to get us in his hands, and there is the possibility that not all of us are going to escape from him. I wanted you to feel these because this could be the key to you guys' survival."_

"_Wait, then why don't you tell this to the others?"_

"_I have my… reasons."_

"_One of them wouldn't happen to be Sugar Queen, would it?" replied Toph._

_ Zuko didn't answer, but Toph confirmed her suspicions._

"_The scroll will be inside the bag. If we have to leave here, and I'm not with you guys, get this scroll, and follow the instructions."_

"_I think you're underestimating yourself," said Toph, "And besides, we won't leave you to-"_

"_Toph…" he interrupted, "please, just do what I'm asking of you. Just in case."_

After feeling each of the bags, Toph found Zuko's pack, and opened it. It didn't take her long to find the scroll, and she held it out for the others to see.

"Hey, what is that Toph?" asked Suki.

"Instructions from Zuko, just in case he was captured, and around and we find ourselves in this situation," she explained.

"You mean, he knew this was going to happen?" asked Aang, "Why didn't he tell us?"

"First of all, he believed it was a possibility, he didn't actually think it was going to happen exactly like this," corrected Toph, "Secondly, could you imagine what Katara would do if Zuko did tell us?"

Her three companions thought about it, and images of Katara plunging a thousand ice daggers into his chest with an evil smile on her face kept popping into their minds.

"Good point," said Suki.

"What's it say, Toph?" asked Sokka.

Toph shot him a blank look.

"Oh, right, sorry," he said sheepishly.

Suki got the scroll from Toph's hands, and unrolled it revealing two rolls of parchment in one. One of them was a map, and the other was a note.

"Wow, he has better handwriting and drawing skills than you do Sokka," she said.

"Thanks," he said irritated.

"What's it say?" asked Aang flatly.

Suki cleared her throat.

_Hey guys, if you're reading this, then our position's been compromised, and I've either been captured or killed, preferably the former. Anyway, you're probably wondering where you guys should go. The best place that I can think of would be Ember Island._

Sokka picked up the other sheet of paper, a map, and found an island circled. It was only a couple hundred miles northeast of the capital, and he estimated that Appa could get there in two days at least, maybe one if they pushed it. He looked to Suki, nodded toward her, and she continued reading.

_It's a Fire Nation resort town reserved for only the nobility and the high-ranking members of the military. My family used to have an estate there, but it's pretty much a ruin now. You can use that to hide out; no one goes to that part of the island anymore, and because of the high profile people that frequent the area, no one would ever think of looking there, so it should serve your needs. Plus, it's close enough to the main island of the country that you can launch another attack on my father when you're ready._

_If I was captured, I will try to escape and join up with you guys there. If I was killed, then let me say this: you guys are-"_

Suki stopped reading.

"What's it say?" asked Toph.

"It stops right there," said Suki, "There's just some thick lines of ink."

"He covered up the rest?" asked Sokka, and getting a nod from Suki, "That jerk!"

"Wait, hold on," said Suki, making both Toph and Sokka tune back in, "P.S. Aang, inside my bag are some fire bending scrolls covering advanced moves and concepts. Practice with those until, or if I get back."

Sokka and Toph fell back into disappointment, but Aang took in every word of it.

"Sokka, do you know where Ember Island is on the map?" he asked calmly.

**xXxXx**

_**It was raining hard. He heard a scream fill the air, and everything was a blur as he turned around. A spike of ice rushed at blinding speed and the sound of flesh and bone being ripped apart roared through the air. He looked down, and the spike pierced through his body.**_

"_**Zuko!"**_

Zuko shot up from his bed, and cried in pain. He put his hand over his side, and looked down on his body; there was no spike in it.

Katara stirred, and turned herself over. Her eyes slowly opened and she saw Zuko sitting upright, and in pain. She got up quickly, and faced him.

"Zuko?"

The former prince quickly faced her with eyes full of fear. When he saw that it was just Katara, his expression softened somewhat, and his breathing began to relax. Katara wondered what that expression was all about. Was it a near death experience, or was it something more than that.

"Well, it's good you're awake; It means you're not dying," she said calmly.

"Yeah," said Zuko recalling the dream, "I probably asked this, but how long was I-"

"I don't know, you were pretty beat up when they brought you back yesterday."

"How beat up are we talking?" asked Zuko.

"You don't remember? I mean, I healed you," she explained.

"Oh, so that wasn't a dream? You actually did heal me?" asked Zuko.

Katara was taken aback by Zuko's statement. Granted, she didn't like him very much, and she still didn't trust him. However, she was not so heartless that she would let him die. Her eyes furrowed at Zuko, and she returned her attention to lying down.

"Who else could make the majority of your pain go away?" she said bitterly.

"Well excuse me if you find me a little skeptical," replied Zuko in kind.

Katara sat back up.

"You're skeptical?" she shot back, "Maybe you wouldn't be so skeptical if you actually knew anything about me, instead of being selfish and attacking us."

"I'm being selfish? You've been all 'Boo hoo, woe is me!' ever since I joined you guys. And while we're on the subject, how could I get to know you when every time I've tried to, you threatened to kill me?"

"Because maybe I don't want you to know me! Who knows what you could use against me like you did in Ba Sing Se."

Zuko's eyes closed completely, and he got his feet, surprising Katara.

"You are the most… confusing, annoying, hypocritical person I have ever met!" he shouted.

Katara got to her feet.

"Hypocritical?"

"That's right! You always say that your kind and forgiving, and that you're better than anyone in the Fire Nation. But you know what? You're no better than me or anyone! You're just as flawed as everyone else!"

"Well, you are the most treacherous, conniving, egotistical person that _**I've**_ ever met!" she said, challenging his statement, "All this time you've talking about how you've changed! But you know what I see?"

"What? Enlighten me," he shot back.

"I still see the same moron who can't take a hint! You're trying to obtain something you can't get because of his own stupid, foolish, one-track mind!"

The door flung open, and two Dai Li agents looked at the two staring one another down. Zuko and Katara saw the two agents raise their eyebrows from the corner of their eyes. Zuko slowly sat back down on his mattress, and Katara did the same. Both were scowling at the other, and never once took their eyes off of the other.

"Aw, now behave children, or else no breakfast for you," mocked Azula as she strolled into the cell.

Zuko shot a glare at his sister, but it didn't even phase her one bit.

"Let me guess, I'm to be interrogated again?" said Zuko.

"Oh, eager are we? I suppose we could get started, but wouldn't you want to eat first? Just like mother used to say, you'll need your strength," said Azula mockingly.

Zuko's good eye twitched when Azula brought up their mother in such a disrespectful tone. Azula ignored him though, and signaled a Fire Nation soldier who carried a tray of food. The soldier set it in front of Zuko, and both he and Katara looked at the food with marvel. It was steamed fish, soup, and rice; even though it was prison food, it smelled too good for any of them to give a care. The soldier then gave Katara a bowl of juk, and she frowned at the meager portion in comparison to Zuko's. One thing they both got was a cup of water; a very small cup.

"I'll be back in one hour," said Azula, "Don't go anywhere."

The princess, agents, and soldier all left the cell laughing. The two benders looked at their food. Zuko took small bites from his tray, and Katara felt insulted.

'That jerk!' she screamed in her head, 'He's not even bothering to offer! He just as selfish as-"

"Here."

Katara saw Zuko take her juk, and slide the tray to her. She was shocked that he was giving her the whole meal while he began to sip the juk gingerly without looking at her. While happy that Zuko was offering the entire meal to her, she couldn't help be suspicious.

"I've tested it for poisoning," said Zuko interrupting her as if he read her thoughts, "Since I haven't started gagging or choking, I can assume it's not laced with anything."

Katara lowered her eyes as Zuko took another sip of the juk.

"…thank you," she replied quietly.

"…don't mention it," said Zuko curtly.

Katara began to eat quickly, trying to quell her hunger. She noticed Zuko was close to finishing the juk, and she felt a pang in her heart. She didn't want to feel bad, but she wanted to prove to him that he was wrong about her. She quickly picked up the rice.

"Here," she offered.

Zuko looked at the bowl, and raised his hand, pushing it away gently.

"No, you'll need your strength more than me," he said calmly.

"What do you mean?" she asked in surprise, "Azula's going to interrogate you."

"I know, but you've probably been deprived of any food or water since yesterday," reasoned Zuko, "Besides, if I'm going to be expelling any bodily fluids, I would prefer it be blood only."

It took Katara a few moments to register what Zuko meant by bodily fluids, and she continued eating. Though, at Zuko's words, the thought of Azula's interrogation methods, caused her to slowly lose her appetite. Then another thought hit her.

"What did you mean by 'you'll need your strength more than me?' You sound like… like you're planning something," said Katara.

Zuko finally looked at her, surprised she picked up on his language right away. Zuko faced her fully, and took a deep breath.

"Let's make an arrangement," said Zuko cautiously, catching Katara's attention, "Let's just cooperate now, escape, and get back at each other's throats later. OK?"

Katara thought about Zuko's proposal.

**xXxXx**

The two Dai Li agents approached the two Fire Nation guards guarding Zuko and Katara.

"The princess is ready to interrogate him," said one of the agents.

Just then, a crash was heard in the cell, and the guards quickly opened the cell, and saw the two benders staring each other down. The bowls and food trays were scattered around.

"Finally," said Zuko, "Get me away from this crazy woman!"

"Go on, I hope you die!" screamed Katara trying to, literally, kick him out.

The two agents separated them, and got Zuko by the arms. They led the prince away, while the fire nation guards tried to clean up the mess, and when they were done, they left Katara.

**xXxXx**

It was a full moon that night, and Aang sat quietly looking at the shores of the beach. He managed to get the group to a small island on the way to where Zuko suggested they should go, but his thoughts drifted to Katara and Zuko.

While he prayed to the spirits, especially to Yue, that the two would be safe, he still had concerns. The first was thoughts of Katara killing Zuko out of anger, or some other reason. But on the opposite end of the spectrum was his thought from yesterday, of Katara and Zuko becoming closer.

As he sighed deeply, he felt a very familiar presence behind him.

"Hey Toph."

"Not bad," she said, "I think you're beginning to finally master earth bending. So what are you doing here? Sokka says we should try to get to Ember Island at night to avoid detection."

"Yeah…" said Aang.

"You thinking about them?" asked Toph, her tone turning serious.

Aang didn't answer; he didn't have to. Toph put a hand on his shoulder.

"Give it a rest Aang, you're a bigger worry wart than Zuko, you know that?" she said

"I can't help it," said Aang, "What if they were killed, or what if-"

"Do you think Katara's strong?" asked Toph, interrupting him.

"What?" said a surprised Aang, "She's a master water bender, of course she's strong."

"And Zuko?"

"He's strong and persistent."

"So, where does the worrying fit in with this?" asked Toph.

Aang was about to answer, but he couldn't think of one.

"Come on Twinkletoes, if I don't bring you back, then _I'm_ going to get into trouble."

Toph walked away, and Aang just laid there thinking about Toph's attempt to cheer him up.

'Toph's right,' he assured himself as he picked himself up, 'Katara and Zuko are strong. I'm giving them too little credit.'

He followed her back to camp to help them get ready to leave.

**xXxXx**

Katara lied down patiently on the bed for several hours. She fought to stay awake, her ears keenly focused. Then, she heard it.

_Thump Thump._

She sat, up as the key turned, and Zuko was again being held by the arms before being tossed right into the cell. Again, two Dai Li agents tossed her a skin of water, ordered her heal Zuko, and watched her heal the prince. When Zuko's eyes began to open, the agents looked keenly.

"Well, he's still alive, eh?" said one of them as they got into their stances, prepared to turn the water into mud.

"…Katara?" he said.

'NOW!' she screamed in her head.

Katara immediately sent the water at the agents, who weren't expecting the attack, and froze their arms and legs. The two Fire Nation guards immediately went in to intervene.

"Big mistake water witch," one of them said, as the two got into a stance. But Katara was perfectly aware of their intervention.

She flicked her wrist, and liquid shot from the hinges of the cell door, and into the guard's eyes.

"Thanks for the soup," she said to the guards.

They howled in pain, as they cradled their eyes. Zuko leapt up and shot two flames at their chests, sending them flying, and another two to the Dai Li agents, knocking all four of them out.

The prince smiled in triumph, but cringed at the pain he felt from pushing himself to launch the attacks and fell to one knee.

"Be careful," said Katara, "I may have patched you up, but don't push it."

"I can't believe that worked," said Zuko, "Most of my plans don't work out so well."

"Let's celebrate after we get out of here," said Katara tying the water skin to her waist.

Secretly, Katara was very impressed with Zuko's planning. At first she was skeptical about it's chances, especially since they had such little to work with. But Zuko assured her that as long as they timed everything correctly, they had very solid chances of escaping. Zuko looked at the two guards who were blinded.

"You're aim's really good."

"Well it's a good thing we had that "fight" earlier with the juk and soup," said Katara, "Using the salt in the liquids was good thinking?"

"Not as good as your bending. It was a great idea to hide the soup in the door hinges."

Katara couldn't help but blush at Zuko's compliment, but she turned serious.

"What now?" she asked.

"Follow me," said Zuko.

**Ta Da! Will Zuko and Katara escape? Find out next time.**

**Thank you for reading and please review.**


	5. Escape

**Author's Notes: **

**Yay! The rewrite paid off!**

**But man was this chapter hard to write. I was seriously trying to figure out how I was going to get Katara and Zuko out of this little predicament they're in. It's finished though, and I hope I came up with a realistically possible escape plan for them that makes sense on paper. Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender. It is the property of its creators and Nickelodeon.**

Chapter 5: Escape

In the moonlit night above the Fire Nation, five giant air balloons sped their way to the capital with its precious cargo. Little did the crew of these five airships know that their cargo had broken out, and was roaming freely on board their lead airship.

After incapacitating the four guards looking after them, Katara gathered up the water from her healing session, and put it back in the skin that the Dai Li had thrown at her to heal Zuko. After two days of being in a holding cell filled with uncertainty, she could not wait to get out of the place, and she figured after all the physical torture, Zuko was probably thinking the same thing. They both left the prison area of the ship, and closed the door behind them quietly.

Zuko had told her to follow him, and since he was more familiar with the airship that they were on, she accepted that he would be leader. He led Katara through the corridors quickly and stealthily. She was no slouch when it came to stealth, but Katara was astounded at how quickly Zuko could move without making a sound, especially in his patched up condition. She began to study Zuko's movements as they went along through the corridors because in the back of her mind, she felt she could take a lesson from him, though she would never admit that to him personally. He moved a lot like a spirit, at least in the way that she thought a spirit would move.

'A spirit,' she thought.

The entire thing reminded her of her Painted Lady adventures in the polluted village. How she could move as silently as a mouse from one place to another, and not disturb anyone or anything unnecessarily. The only difference was that she didn't have the luxury of being caught by some random group of soldiers that she could easily take down. Instead, the risk was being caught by the Dai Li, Fire Nation soldiers, and Azula.

Zuko stopped at an intersection at the middle section of the ship, and heard the footsteps of people approaching. He looked in both directions, and noticed a broom closet. He went for it while Katara followed, but when he opened the door, she stood her ground.

"Katara, hurry," he whispered angrily

"I am not going into a broom closet with you," she hissed.

"I'm not going to do anything to you," hissed Zuko quietly in disbelief.

Katara's stood her ground, but Zuko still presented the open room. She could hear footsteps getting louder, and she sighed in exasperation and went in with Zuko. Fortunately, to her surprise, the closet was not as cramped as Katara had feared.

"Do you remember the plan?" asked Zuko as he stood near the door of the closet.

Katara looked at him, and her thoughts drifted back to the agreement of cooperation that they had while they were eating breakfast.

"_Ok, here's the plan," he began whispering, "Phase one would be to incapacitate the guards. I suggest you hold off on the soup, put it somewhere the guards won't find it. We could use the salt in the liquid to blind them."_

"_There would be four guards though from what I remember, and it looks like there would be enough liquid for only two," said Katara._

"_Then, I don't know, use the water for healing me to disable them, and I'll knock them out," said Zuko._

_Katara thought for a moment, and thought that part could work out well. She looked around, and saw a few places she could hide the soup with her bending._

"_Ok, so we take out the guards, then what? I mean, we're hundreds of feet in the air, getting out isn't exactly going to be easy."_

"_Alright, that's phase two, and the hardest one since it will require complete silence and perfect timing. These airships usually have a dozen war balloons for emergency use. We're going to commandeer one, and get to the closest island possible."_

"_What do you mean?" she asked, "We should use it to find Aang, not some random island in the country."_

"_Well that's the thing Katara. If we are in the Fire Nation, then I'd need to find out where, and I am not going to risk our one shot of escaping on getting a map from the navigation room. Once we land on an island, and figure out where we are, then we can go to Ember Island and meet up with Aang," said Zuko._

_Katara's eyes widened when Zuko mentioned where the others were._

"_And how would you know where Aang is?" asked Katara._

"_I gave Toph instructions when we got back from the Boiling Rock. She would have given them to the others, and they would have headed there. The place is safe, don't worry," assured Zuko._

"_Don't worry? How do you expect me not to? Looking back on all our encounters, your plans seem to have a lot of flaws," she hissed._

"_Hey, I thought we made a deal," shot Zuko, "When we get out of here-"_

"_Alright already, 'Mr. I Know What I'm Doing," she sighed, not wanting to hear him remind her, "So, where are these escape-balloons?"_

"_They're in special hangars to the sides of the bridge," he replied._

"_You mean, they're near Azula?" _

"_Yes, which is why, we have to be quiet. From what I understand, you have experience in sneaking around, so going down the halls quietly should be no problem for you, or did I hear wrong?" said Zuko._

_Katara looked nervously at Zuko. Although she was daring, she was not suicidal, and the idea of being so close to Azula in order to escape did not sit well with her. She was usually a little more cautious, which seemed to be the exact opposite to Zuko. He made his move at the first possible opportunity, no matter how dangerous the consequences were. She couldn't tell if he was being brave, stupid, or just plain reckless. Despite this, the desire to get off the flying prison managed to outweigh all caution, and she nodded her head._

"_Alright the signal will be when I wake up from the healing session tonight. Are you ready?" he whispered raising the soup bowl._

Katara's thoughts returned to the present, and she gave him a hardened look of determination.

"Phase two, right?" she asked.

"Yeah," responded Zuko.

"I remember, don't worry," said Katara.

He nodded and slowly opened the door, and when he confirmed the coast was clear, he motioned her to follow him. They both slid out of the closet, and treaded very lightly. Katara looked at the man who was leading her to safety, and though she agreed to follow his lead, she couldn't help but worry that this could all go awry.

The two went further down into the halls, stopping at certain points to let patrols walk by and making turns into adjacent hallways to avoid clusters of guards. After a few minutes, they had arrived at the bridge area. When Katara saw the number of guards, and Dai Li agents, her heart fell. It looked as though the majority of the soldiers were stationed there to make sure they didn't escape.

"Now what?" she whispered angrily.

"We wait for the patrol," said Zuko, approaching a nearby door.

"What patrol?" she asked, still following his lead.

"**They've escaped! Prince Zuko and the water bender escaped!"**

"That one," replied Zuko before opening the door, grabbing her hand, and pulling her with him into the room.

Zuko had managed to quickly, but quietly closed the door.

"How did you know that was going to happen?" whispered Katara.

"Fire Nation patrols and guard shifts are absolutely punctual," he explained in a quiet voice, "Once you know the routine, it's pretty easy to figure out an efficient time table for escape.

A series of footsteps could be heard going down the hall, and it didn't take long for what sounded like an explosion to sound through the doors.

"Azula's mad," said Zuko smugly.

Katara was wondering what kind of room they were in. It was completely dark, but it smelled rancid. She shifted her foot closer to the door, and it sounded like she was in a puddle. She took a small step and almost slipped, but Zuko caught her before she completely fell and made any kind of noise to give away their presence. When footsteps reverberated throughout the airship, Zuko helped her regain her footing with the sound of desperate people drowning out any kind of noise.

"Where are we? It smells awful," said Katara.

"The interrogation room," said Zuko.

Katara looked at the floor. She didn't see anything, and part of her didn't even want to know what kind of slippery liquid she was standing in.

"Um… Katara?" began Zuko nervously.

She found herself very close to the prince, and holding his arm.

"Sorry," she said quickly letting go, "It's just… how long are we supposed to stay here?"

"Just for a minute," said Zuko.

The room was completely dark and even though she was in the place for five minutes, she felt like it had been hours, and the room was beginning to work on her psychologically in all sorts of strange ways. The only light in the room was the light from outside barely penetrating the creaks in the doorway. She shuddered at the thought of being "interrogated" in a room like this. She thought of images of someone being tortured, and then having to wallow in whatever filth the poor victim's own body expelled during that time. She had half a mind to throw up, when Zuko tugged her sleeve.

"It's time," said Zuko.

Katara let out a sigh of relief as Zuko, slowly opened the door. There were no guards in the general vicinity and he led her out. Katara began to breath normally, glad that she was out of such a terrifying place.

"Are you ok?" he asked gently.

"I'm fine, let's just… I don't want to be here anymore," she answered.

"Alright," he said putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

He slid his hand down her shoulder, and gently held her wrist. He tugged at it to signal her to follow him before letting go, and crouching near the corner. She got herself together, and she kneeled behind him. Zuko peered around the corner, and saw the emergency doors. They were unguarded, and he looked down the hall and saw that the guards were still scrambling, and hadn't noticed them at all.

"Now," he whispered

The two darted straight for the doors, and as they were about to reach it a blue flame shot at the handle, and melted it.

"Hello Zuzu."

They looked to see Azula standing down a hallway to their left.

"You didn't honestly think I would leave the escapes completely unguarded, did you?" she said.

"Katara, cut down the doors," said Zuko.

Zuko lunged at Azula shooting some fire, and Katara bent the water into a blade, and began to cut the hinges just like she did with the support beams in the drill. The commotion drew the attention of the guards, and they began to run back. Zuko pushed Azula back, and saw some piping along the guard's path, and shot at it. It burst sending scalding hot steam in every direction. The agents and guards in the path struggled to get out of the boiling cloud, and those who were lucky enough to avoid it had to go the long way around the airship. Zuko smiled at the fact that he bought them a little time, and returned his attention to his sister, who was even more furious than ever.

Katara eventually managed to cut down the doors, and turned to Zuko.

"Come on!" she shouted.

Zuko heard her, but couldn't help but notice Azula's fighting style. It was not as precise as it was before. It seemed more erratic, more emotional. It was similar to how he used to fight while chasing Aang, and he quickly took advantage of that. He sent one flame to distract her, which worked, and quickly sent another blast into her torso. It was a direct hit; Azula was sent flying back five feet into a wall, knocking her out. He quickly went into the emergency doors, and went for the nearest balloon.

It was similar to the balloon that he and Sokka took to get to the Boiling Rock, but with one minor difference: a collapsible propeller system. Otherwise it had the same kind of basket and engine design that Zuko was used to flying. Part of the uninflated balloon was connected to the basket with strong sturdy lines. The rest of the balloon ran into the roof, which Zuko figured was so that it could inflate to full size outside the airship before deployment. Zuko looked inside and saw a bag of coal, a spyglass, and emergency rations and supplies. He then looked at the front of the basket, and the balloon and saw a pathway for both that led to a large, rhino-sized destructible door with glass hinges designed to shatter with enough force. The only thing that kept the balloon from simply falling into the sky was a single lever at the front of the door.

"So, how does this work?" Katara asked looking at the balloon.

"You leave preparing this thing to me; I need you to hold off anybody going through that door."

"Me?"

"Look, unless you can magically heat up this coal, I need you to make sure that no one damages the balloon," said Zuko impatiently.

Katara scoffed and faced the door, and had her water ready, even if it was a meager amount.

Zuko tugged on all the lines to see if they were secure, pulled out the propellers, and when that was settled, he jumped in, ripped open the coal bag, and shoved some of it into the engine before shooting an intense flame to light it up. The gases from the coal began to quickly fill the balloon, and the sounds of ruffling canvas and could be heard from outside. He spent some time examining how the propellers tied into the engine when a few guards arrived now and then, but Katara quickly whipped them into submission. Once he figured out the engine components in relation to the propellers, he pulled a lever, and the propellers began to spin slowly.

"Katara!" he shouted.

She turned around, and saw Zuko had got the engine going, and quickly jumped into the basket with him while steering clear of the now spinning propellers. Zuko shut the engine door and pulled the door lever. The top pathway that held the balloon itself popped off into the sky, and the weight of the balloon did everything from there on out: they slid down a small ramp, which broke the glass-hinged door, and they began to twirl in the sky as they fell from the moving airship at full speed. However, the spinning did not last long, and the two began to fly through the skies relatively easily.

Katara could not believe what had just happened. They had gotten out of Azula's hands; correction, Zuko had gotten them both out of Azula's hands. She turned to see him managing the engine, and she quickly hugged him.

"You did it! You actually got us out of there!" she yelled joyfully.

Zuko yelped in pain. Katara suddenly remembered that he wasn't healed properly, plus things weren't really patched up between them which was all the more reason why the hug was awkward, and she quickly let him go.

"Sorry," she said calmly.

"No, it's not your fault, the adrenaline is just dying down," he said.

"Still, you got us out of there," she said in a surprisingly grateful tone, "Th-"

KRACKLE! BOOM!

Lightning shot by the balloon; Zuko, and Katara looked up to see two blue light sources twinkling. Zuko got the spyglass, and looked at the airship they were previously on. Azula was tethered to the assault platform of the airship, and was charging up her lightning with a maniacal look on her face.

"Get behind me!" shouted Zuko, feeling the adrenaline pick up in his bloodstream.

"Is that-?"

Another lightning bolt shot out, and once Zuko saw it shooting straight toward him, he only had a moment to react. He pulled Katara behind him with one hand, and stuck the index and middle finger of the other into the attack's path.

"Zuko!" she cried as the thought of him getting killed entered her mind.

But, it didn't kill him. She only saw it from behind Zuko, but she saw the lighting slither around his fingers and body before it was sent back to Azula. Katara was dumbstruck.

'He can… he can redirect lightning?'

An explosion could be seen in the sky; Zuko scored a direct hit on the airship, but he wobbled and caught the railing of the balloon before he could actually fall. Katara knelt with him, and saw him slowly open his eyes.

"That was too close," he asked weakly.

"You're telling me," was all she said in reply.

Something caught Zuko's eye, and Katara noticed it. She turned around and saw another set of twinkling lights. Zuko thought quickly, thinking where Azula would strike next.

"If I were her I would aim at- crap!" he shouted realizing her intended target, "Katara, get down!"

"What?"

Zuko pulled her toward him with one hand in a tight embrace, and he began to heat up the other. One moment later, lightning was shot.

BOOM!

Lighting had struck the balloon which ignited the gases from the coal, causing it to explode. But Zuko had made a shield of fire at the last possible moment to shield himself and Katara from the blast. It seemed hopeless though as they were both now plummeting to surface of the earth in a wood and iron basket with a burning balloon above them. After quickly shaking off the after-effects of the explosion, Katara got up, and looked over the railing and saw they were falling into the ocean. She thought quickly, and came up with a plan.

"Give me your hand!" she yelled.

She extended a hand to Zuko, who quickly took it. He got on his feet, but the next words to come out of Katara's mouth almost made him fall back down.

"We're going to jump!" she cried out.

"What?"

"On three!" she shouted.

She looked over the railing of the balloon, and noticed they were about five hundred feet above the air.

"Three!"

She pulled Zuko with her, and they both began to plummet. At around one hundred feet, Katara, fueled by the power of the moonlight, bent water from the sea into a drop-shape to envelop both her and Zuko. The water acted like a cushion when they landed, and it broke their fall as the water crashed and was reabsorbed by the sea. But the impact was still hard on both of them.

Katara recovered quickly though, swam up for air, and began to breathe hard. That was by far the most dangerous stunt she had ever done, but it was better than staying on the balloon which violently crashed not too far from them.

"Zuko!... We… need to… get to shore," she said in between breaths as she waded.

There was no response.

"Zuko?" she repeated looking around, but couldn't find him, "Zuko? Zuko!"

She took a deep breath, and went underwater. She scanned the area, and saw him sinking slowly to the depths. The collision with the sea had knocked him out, and she bent the water around him to pull him up to the surface. Once he was safely on top, she bent more water into a raft made of ice, and put Zuko onto it. She was very tired, but she had to look around for someplace safe to hide from Azula, who would no doubt be coming to their position to confirm their deaths.

She got on board the ice raft, and scanned the area as she took deep, harsh breaths. There were some islands about a mile away from her point of view, and immediately pushed for it, all the while trying to stay conscious enough to get there.

**Author's Notes:**

**I ended with a cliffhanger. Why? Because they're awesome, that's why.**

**I looked at the pictures of the giant airships, and imagined how big they were in relation to people and to the smaller hot air balloons. After doing that, I figured that it would be possible to store a couple of hot air balloons as an escape measure, so I used that as the avenue of escape.**

**The fight on the balloon was the hardest part in this chapter for me to write, and I would like to hear any thoughts on that.**

**I hope you've enjoyed this chapter.**

**Thank you for reading and please review.**


	6. Anxious Rest

**Author's Notes: **

**Thanks for the reviews everyone. You've all probably read this a couple thousand times, but the reviews really motivate me to continue and to write faster. This is a pretty short chapter, but I think it is still pretty awesome. Now on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender. It is the property of its creators and Nickelodeon.**

Chapter 6: Anxious Rest

_A man kneeled before her, begging for mercy. His eyes were filled with fear and horror as he looked at her. She raised her hands, and brought them down swiftly, and shards of icicles rained down upon him._

"…_ara," a voice called out, "Ka… ra… tara… Katara."_

Her eyes slowly opened, and she saw Zuko come into focus. She saw that it was night time, and felt the intense heat of a campfire near her. Once she got a feeling of her surroundings, she returned her eyes to Zuko.

"Zuko?" she muttered, "What happened? I remember… islands… a beach…"

He was bending over her, and put three fingers in front of her.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" he asked.

"Ugh… three," she mustered.

"Follow them," he instructed, and he swung them back and forth in front of her.

She followed his instructions as perfectly as she could as she kept her focus on the moving fingers.

"Alright, your hearing, and sight are fine. Can you get up?" he asked.

Katara tried to lift herself up, but she found very difficult to do so. Her entire body felt like it had been stretched out on a rack for days. She slowly began to remember the night that she and Zuko had escaped from Azula, and realized that all her pain must have been from pushing herself beyond her normal limits.

"Your muscles must be sore," said Zuko, "Lie down, and when you're better, we can get moving."

"No!" she shouted before managing forcing herself upright, "Ahhh… We need to find Aang as soon as we can!"

Katara felt something slip from her front, and she saw Zuko redden immediately and turned around to face the fire. She looked down and saw only a burlap blanket, and that the only clothes she was wearing were her undergarments. She immediately shrieked and struggled to wrap the blanket around her half naked body.

"Wh-Where are my clothes? What did you do to me?" she demanded in a shrill voice.

"Y-Your clothes were soaking wet, and you were unconscious. If I didn't get them off you, you would have gotten hypothermia. Your clothes are by the fire," he said quickly pointing in an embarrassed and fearful voice.

Katara followed his finger, and she saw that her Water Tribe clothes were indeed lying by the fire neatly folded, with her mother's necklace placed neatly on top.

"I'm sorry, but it was the only way… you were shivering," said Zuko.

Katara looked at him with a cringe in her face and opened her mouth.

"And before you ask, I didn't even touch you," he added.

She stared hard at him. He was obviously too embarrassed to look at her, and his words seemed sincere. She opened the wrapped blanket slightly and inspected her undergarments. Nothing seemed like it was out place, in fact they were still slightly moist; a sign of improper drying. Zuko was telling the truth, and she let out a small sigh.

"Keep looking at the fire, and don't turn around until I tell you," she ordered.

Zuko waited for a few moments, until he heard a hiss of pain.

"Katara?" he began still looking at the fire.

Suddenly, water whizzed passed him into the bushes. Zuko waited for what seemed like another five minutes, and heard Katara occasionally hiss, and say "ow" from time to time.

"Ok… you can look now," she said.

Zuko turned around, and saw Katara sitting in a lotus position with the blanket wrapped around her. Even thought the blanket covered her up, he was still too embarrassed to really look at her.

"For the record," he began in a low, very ashamed voice, "I didn't want to remove your clothes; I… just couldn't think of a way to keep your body temperature up without burning you."

She looked at him with harsh eyes, but sighed.

"Well, I was unconscious, and you didn't remove my underwear, so I'll let it slide," she said calmly, "But don't you _ever_ do that again, or I _will_ kill you. You understand?"

Zuko gulped at the sudden anger in her voice.

"I understand," he said.

Katara sighed, and pulled the burlap blanket tighter to her body.

"So where did you get this? In fact, where are we?" she asked.

"We're… in the Sinchou forest on Heiwa island," said Zuko. "There is a village at the edges of the woods, and a port town on the other side of the island," explained Zuko, "I got you the blanket and some clothes from the village."

"You mean you stole from there," said Katara.

"You're one to talk, Painted Lady," said Zuko recalling a story that Aang told during practice.

"How did you… never mind, that was a differ-Ahh!"

"What is it?" asked Zuko in a worried voice.

"Nothing… I'm just sore," she said.

"Then you should lie down."

"I'm fine Zuko," she insisted, trying to get to her feet.

Zuko got up and gently pushed down on her shoulder, causing her to fall back and yelp in pain, and he kept the hand on her shoulder and gently held her with that. She tried to get his hand off of her, but her arms hurt so much she didn't have the strength to really push his hand away. She squirmed, and that didn't even make his hand slide around. Zuko let out a deep sigh, and lifted his hand up. Katara looked at him defiantly, upset that he had proven his point.

"You need to rest Katara," he said softly, "Wait here; I'll get something that will ease your aches."

He got the water skin that Katara used during the escape, and left the camp area while Katara slumped into a ball, too tired to complain.

Zuko walked over to a nearby river, and collected some river rocks. He took off his vest and outer belt, and wrapped them around the rocks forming a neat little bundle. Afterwards, he pulled out the water skin, emptied out the water before refilling it. Once he did that, he put both packs in one hand, and collected firewood on the way back. When he arrived back at the camp, he saw Katara still sore. She turned her head slowly to see him, and he set the things he had gathered down.

"You thirsty?" he asked as he added more firewood.

"…Yeah," she said.

Zuko got the water skin, and knelt in front of her. Katara managed to get a hold of the water skin, and with Zuko's help, she got the drink that she desperately needed.

"Thanks," said Katara in her neutral tone.

Zuko reflected back to when they were prisoners on Azula's airship, and when they escaped. He was amazed at how much better she treated him during their time in their holding cell. In the end, though, he felt that her treatment of him was most likely one out of convenience. She needed him to get them out of there, and when he did it seemed as though she was grateful to be out of that miserable place. Now it seemed like he was back at the Western Air Temple.

'I figured it wouldn't last,' he thought as he tossed the stones that he had collected into the fire.

Katara watched Zuko toss the rocks into the fire. She looked at him in a very strange way; not hostile, but strange. Ever since the torture inflicted upon him as Azula's prisoner, she had been having mixed feelings about Zuko. Part of her wanted to trust him, now that it was clear his allegiance wasn't with the Fire Nation. But the other part kept bringing Ba Sing Se back into her mind. She decided that the best way for her to make a decision was to question him for the moment.

"How long was I out?" she suddenly asked.

Zuko looked at her, and when he saw her look of determination, he faced her fully.

"As far as I can remember?" he asked her, and she nodded, "Two days, including today."

"Two days?"

Zuko nodded, surprised by her reaction.

"Yesterday, I woke up on the beach," he continued, "You weren't too far off. The tide was coming in, and you were out like a hibernating platypus-bear. So I carried you into the forest, and made camp. You were shivering, and… well you know what happened."

His face was scarlet, and he looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. Katara also blushed, but her cold eyes drew any kind of attention away from any other part of her.

"I've been looking over you since then," he finished.

Katara was quiet for a moment.

"Two days…" she began before a thought hit her, "What about Azula? Is she out there looking for us?"

"She is," said Zuko.

"Then we should move!"

"Don't worry; even if you didn't know it, you took us to a good place to hide," said Zuko, "We're in the Liu Long cluster."

"Liu Long cluster?" asked Katara skeptically, "What's that?"

"A number of islands in the northwest of the Fire Nation. All you need to know is that the islands are large and numerous, and to her we could have washed up on any one of them."

"Are we safe? I mean are there soldiers here?"

"There are, but we're deep in the woods. They won't find us, I promise you."

Zuko's confidence in their safety was apparent in his voice. Katara had one last question to ask him.

"Where are we in relation to this Ember Island place you mentioned?"

"Heiwa is four days from Ember Island by ferry."

"Four days?" she shouted in disbelief, "What if Aang gets caught before we get to him?"

"Don't worry Katara," he repeated gently, "It's a safe place. Because of all the high-ranking officials on the island, that is the last place they would ever look, and besides, even if Azula decided to enter that area, the entire district would know, and that would be a clear warning for Aang and the others."

Katara thought about it for a while and realized that the situation was fairly sound. She could tell by way that he talked that he had really planned out a good escape route for the others to follow in case the need should ever arise. While he answered her questions, she had been watching him like a hawk and listening carefully, looking for any indication that he was lying or if he didn't know what he was doing, but she could find no error in any of his answers.

This had been a wild ride for Katara, especially since all the uncertainty she felt seemed to have fallen on Zuko's position. He had helped her brother and Aang in some way, and had come through time and time again for her ever since they had been in their predicament. She decided to do something that she never thought she would ever do again.

"You… certainly are different from before," she said cautiously.

Zuko looked up at her.

"The others… they wanted me to give you a chance," she continued, "To be honest, I was never going to give you that chance, ever. But… you saved my dad, kept silent when Azula tortured you, got us out of that airship, ensured that Aang and the others had a chance to lay low for a while, and you've been looking after me, despite my actions toward you. I think… you deserve… a chance."

Zuko thought his heart skipped a beat.

"You mean it?" he asked almost excitedly.

"One…" she said firmly, "One chance to show me you've changed for the better. If you screw up in even the slightest, then you can kiss my forgiveness goodbye."

"How will I know if I'm screwing up?" he asked.

"That will be for me to know and you to find out when you do," was all she said.

It wasn't much of a chance, but the more Zuko thought about it, the more he realized that this was a vast improvement from before. He closed his eyes and bowed slightly.

"Very well," replied Zuko.

He turned around to face the campfire, and saw the river rocks glowing red. With a quick motion of his hands, he snuffed out the campfire, bent the intense heat from the stones so that they were now only toasty warm, and put it into his vestments. When he had gathered them all together, he wrapped them up into a bundle and walked over to Katara.

"Lie down," he said softly.

Katara raised an eyebrow, but did as he asked. He showed his hand to Katara, and held the burlap blanket.

"I'm going to lift the blanket, and put the rocks on you where they hurt the most. Just tell me where, alright."

Katara nodded after giving him the silent treatment for a good minute. Zuko lifted the blanket, and turned red on seeing Katara in her undergarments. He quickly asked her where the soreness hurt the most, and he placed the rocks accordingly. Katara could feel the soothing warmth go straight to her bones and she began to relax, and once Zuko was done, he quickly covered Katara up, and put his outer robe on top of the blanket to provide extra warmth for her.

"Goodnight… Katara," said Zuko.

He went to the other side of the camp, and sat in a lotus position. He relaxed his posture, and after a few moments, he fell asleep sitting up. Katara looked at him weakly, and began to feel the soothing effects of the heat. She slowly drifted off to sleep, and as she did, she silently hoped that she was not wrong in giving Zuko another chance.

**Thank you for reading and please review. **


	7. Act Naturally

**Author's Notes:**

**I'm really surprised people liked the previous chapter. I thought Zuko taking Katara's clothes off was going a little far. Anyway, thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender. It is the property of its creators and Nickelodeon.**

Chapter 7: Act Natural

Zuko felt the sun rise in his blood, and he slowly awakened to it. He got out of the lotus position that he had been sleeping in, and reclined slightly as he stretched out his legs. He took deep even breathes, and tilted his head to the girl lying on the other side of the camp sleeping soundly.

His thoughts had returned to the previous night. Katara had finally given him the chance that he endured every known verbal assault to earn, though it wasn't like he didn't deserve it. Even so, he wasn't sure how much more of her badgering he could take. He was relieved but terrified by the opportunity given to him. He would show Katara that she was wrong about him, that he had changed, but like everything he set his mind to do, there was a catch. Katara had enormous standards when it came to trust, especially if the trust was broken before, and the worst part was, he wouldn't know he failed unless he actually did, which made him more nervous.

'Somehow, trying to capture Aang sounds so much easier,' he thought in his head.

He decided all he had to do was to be nice, and be careful. If he could do that, and get him and Katara back to the others, then that would be enough. He figured it would be best if he got breakfast, and prepare it as well; that would be a good start.

He got onto his feet, and went off to the river where he got Katara's warming stones, and stood in the banks. Salmon-trout were swimming upriver to mate and lay their eggs, and Zuko's stomach roared at the thought of having some for breakfast.

He pulled out his pearl dagger, and crouched down slightly in a horse stance. He held the dagger such that his forearm resembled a spear, and he got to work fishing.

**xXxXx**

Katara awoke to the smell of fish cooking. She opened her eyes slightly, and tilted her head. Zuko was sitting by the fire in a meditations stance, and the campfire was completely under his command. It looked like a giant candle flame surrounded by two large salmon-trout on sticks cooking evenly around it.

She saw Zuko breathing in and out, and watching the flame rise and fall with each breath. When he exhaled, the fire grew larger and momentarily engulfed the fish before dying down with an inhale. He was straining to keep the flame under control, and sweat began to run down his face. She took another whiff at the fish, and she could tell they were ready to eat.

She got up, and two of the warming stones that Zuko had given her collided when they slid off of her body. Zuko's concentration was broken, and the flame began to burn wildly again when he opened his eyes in surprise.

"Katara?"

"…Hey," she said tiredly.

He looked at her run her hand through her hair, and smiled when she didn't wince in discomfort.

"I take it your not sore anymore?" he asked.

Katara looked at him, and realized that she wasn't. She was so concerned about breakfast, that she didn't even notice it at all.

"I guess I'm not," she said, "Is that breakfast?"

"Yes," he responded, "Come on, eat. They should be cooked by now."

She eyed him for a moment before getting up. He looked away with a strong blush, and she realized that she forgot she was still in her undergarments. She quickly blushed as well as she pulled the blanket up. She cleared her throat and got his attention.

"You said you got me clothes?" she asked as curtly as she could.

"Er… yes… they're behind that rock over there," he said pointing to a fairly large boulder, "I figured you'd want to get dressed somewhere I couldn't see."

She looked at him for a moment, before going behind the rock and getting dressed. There were clothes in Fire Nation red neatly folded in front and placed on a rock with a ribbon and ornament for her hair, and a pair of black boots similar to his. She got them and put them on.

Zuko eyed his fish hungrily when Katara came out from behind the rock, and he looked at her with a stunned expression on her face. She wore a short, sleeveless red kimono that ran to her mid-thighs with a crimson obi belt, a pair of black pants similar in design to what he wore, and her hair was tied the same way it was when she first came to the Fire Nation in disguise. He was surprised that she looked good in the clothes he had managed to take, especially since he didn't even look at what he took when he got them.

"You look… good… in red I mean," he said.

She stared at him for his compliment.

"Thanks…" she replied, "Though, not that I'm complaining, I wish you got me something a little more feminine."

"Sorry, I just thought you know… us being fugitives… you wouldn't really care. I'll get you something better later if you like," he said nervously.

Katara stared at Zuko, surprised at how awkward that all sounded, but she sighed and sat by the fire.

"No, you're right, I shouldn't worry about my looks in this situation. It actually isn't too bad," she said before taking a fish skewer.

Zuko started to eat his, and she did the same. The moment she bit into it, she felt her mouth salivate quickly. The fish was delicious, far more than she had ever expected. The flesh was sweet with only a hint of sea salt laced in with the tender pink-red flesh. She felt herself drool, and could feel it down her chin. She took the bite, and wiped her face, with Zuko watching her.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked.

"Is the fish that good?" he asked.

"…Yes," she replied, "You should cook more often. It would save me some trouble."

"My cooking is nothing special. I just stuck some fish on sticks and burned it," said Zuko.

"Well… I think it's good. I mean, I'm sure Sokka would love you for putting meat on sticks," said Katara.

"…Thanks," said Zuko before looking into the fire.

Katara occasionally stole a glace at Zuko staring into the fire as she ate her fish, and Zuko did the same. Zuko finished first and decided to do some training of his own while he waited for Katara to finish. He closed his eyes, took deep breaths, reigned the campfire under his command, and once again it became the giant candle flame the Katara saw when she woke up.

Still in concentration, he stretched out one of his arms to the flame. It slithered up his arm like a snake, and he opened his other hand palm up, giving a place for the fire to reside. Katara looked up at the sight, and saw the entire campfire leave the fire pit until there was nothing left. Zuko gathered all of the fire up in his open hand, and let the flame burn away on its own. Katara was impressed by the sight, and saw Zuko relax his body when the fire was gone.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Oh… it was a firebending exercise," he said, "It was one of the first things I taught Aang… for control.

She nodded and continued eating until she finished.

"Thanks for breakfast," she said.

"You're welcome," he replied, "I'm glad you liked it."

The two decided to rest up for a bit before heading out of the forest. Katara turned the blanket into a makeshift pack, and put her Water Tribe clothes in it before handing it over to Zuko. She filled the water skin and tied it to her waist while Zuko carefully erased all traces of the campsite for good measure. When they ready, she and Zuko left for the village outside of the forest.

Zuko and Katara walked through the forest silently for the next hour. Katara wanted Zuko to lead since he seemed more familiar with the woods, and all Katara had to do was to follow him around. She didn't have to talk to him, which was appealing at first, but the silence between them was beginning to get to her. Katara looked to Zuko, and figured he was ok with the silence, being the anti-social type and all, but Katara was not that type of person.

'This is ridiculous!' her mind screamed, 'I can't bear four days of this.'

Her thoughts began to recall her father and Aang's words when Katara revealed that she was just going to ignore Zuko. Ironically, talking to Zuko may be the only thing that would save her from the surreal quiet that plagued her mind. Plus, now seemed like a good opportunity to take Aang's advice. According to Aang, burying the issue wasn't going fix the problems between the two, but talking and understanding would. She sighed, and thought it was worth a try. Aang, being the Avatar, was almost never wrong when it came to helping people make peace with one another.

Besides, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little curious about Zuko, and wanted to see what everyone in the group thought was so great about him.

"So… nice trees…" she began, thinking it was good to start small.

"Excuse me?" said Zuko.

"Fine, ignore me," she snapped.

"Oh, sorry… I was… under the impression you'd rather not talk to me," said Zuko cautiously.

"Oh, I see," she said.

It wasn't too far from the truth, but that was an hour ago.

"Well, I would like to talk to you," she said quietly.

He looked at her.

"From time to time," she added, "I don't how you do it, but I can't stand total silence."

"Oh, ok… sure we can… talk," said Zuko distantly without facing her.

Katara felt uncomfortable with how the talking was going. She knew ever since she threatened him that Zuko was nervous around her, but now he was terrified. She sighed at Zuko, and placed a hand on his shoulder. He stopped and turned around to face her.

"Look," she began as he faced her, "I know things between us are… not ideal right now, but I don't really like how you're being so timid."

"What do you mean? I'm not timid," he replied.

"Then why are you all pins and needles around me?" she asked darkly.

Zuko looked away and rubbed the back of his neck, causing Katara to sigh again.

"Could we just… I want you to act normally around me, alright," she said.

"Could you… define normally?" he asked.

She thought for a moment, and realized she didn't know what normal was for Zuko. She rubbed the back of her neck as she tried to string words together in her head.

"Talk to me as if… I was Aang or Sokka or Toph," she said

It was Zuko's turn to rub his neck.

"…Can I ask you something?" asked Zuko and he received a slight nod, "Why the sudden change?"

Katara was take aback somewhat by Zuko's directness.

"…Remember when we argued on Azula's airship?" she began.

Zuko nodded.

"I said that I didn't want to you to know me, that I didn't trust you enough to let you know me," she continued, "Well… I'm starting to think that was a bad idea.

Zuko's eyes widened with interest.

"Our escape from Azula… it only happened because we worked together. We still had problems with each other, but we trusted one another enough and that was what enabled us to get away. Now… we're in the same kind of situation, where we need to trust each other to get back to the others."

"I see," said Zuko

"Also," she added catching his attention, "it's just something… something my father and Aang mentioned."

"What did they say?" he asked.

"They said…" she sighed, "They said that simply ignoring you wasn't going to help, but actually talking to you was. What… what I'm trying to say is that I would like to talk to you about… things. It would at least give me a picture of you so I know what to make of you."

"What to make of me?"

"I can't trust someone who I don't know well, and I can't believe any thing you say if you're too cautious about what you say. I'd think you were lying to me if you did that," she said.

Zuko looked at her thoughtfully.

"If I talked to you like I do with the others, I might say something you wouldn't like or yell at you or something," he warned.

"Good," she said, causing a surprised expression on his face, "What?"

"I'm sorry it's just… I want your forgiveness… how can that be good?"

"It would let me know what to expect if I approach you a certain way. And besides, actions speak a lot louder than words," she replied, "So, are you going to act naturally, or not?"

Zuko nodded, almost enthusiastically, and stretched out his hand.

"Walk with me?" he suggested, testing the waters.

Katara took him up on his offer, but her expression remained neutral. They walked together for a bit, before Katara tried to strike up a conversation again.

"So… was it like this with Sokka at the Boiling Rock?" she asked.

"Yes," he said politely, "It was weird at first, but we actually did talk on the way there."

Katara was surprised. Her brother left out any kind of small talk that happened between himself and Zuko when he retold the story of their "Epic Rescue" as her brother put it. She had assumed that they didn't start talking until after they rescued her dad and Suki, but she was apparently wrong. She tried to picture it in her head, and figured it must have been awkward.

"So… what did you talk about?" she asked.

"We talked about clouds, balloons, my personal life, and something about his girlfriend turning into the moon," he replied, indulging her in the hopes of getting into her good graces.

Katara almost tripped at the last part.

'How could Sokka talk about Yue to Zuko, and why would Zuko tell Sokka parts of his personal life? What is wrong with the universe?' she thought, ignoring the fact that Sokka normally thought and said things like that, 'Well, if Sokka could do it, so can I.'

She tried to think of something that can lead to an enlightening conversation about Zuko. She pondered the memories she had of him, but many of the questions she had seemed very intimate. Katara then decided to go with something harmless, but enough that could give her some insight.

'Start slow,' she thought, "So..."

"Mm?" he responded.

"You can redirect lightning…"

"Um… yeah, I mean yes," he responded.

Katara had no idea how her brother survived going to the Boiling Rock with this guy.

"That's… cool," she said.

Zuko looked at her as it became quiet again.

"If you want… I could teach it to you…" he found himself offering.

"Really?" she asked, "But I'm not a firebender."

"Oh, right… sorry," he said rubbing his neck, "It's just, uncle came up with it from watching waterbending and I thought that you could learn it."

"Waterbending?" she asked.

"According to my uncle, since lightning is pure energy, theoretically it can be redirected with the proper technique. He studied waterbending for a bit and came up with the redirection move," he explained.

Katara took in Zuko's explanation, and she felt proud to be a waterbender.

"How about this…" he began interrupting her internal cheering.

"If you want, I could show you some firebending moves," he offered, "Who knows, you might find something useful."

Katara thought about it for a moment. It would be advantageous to learn a little firebending. She could get a better perspective into the attack forms of her opponents, and there was also the chance that she could develop a new technique just like Zuko's uncle. But, her pride as a waterbender, and her current position toward Zuko declared otherwise.

"I'll think about it," she said to him.

Zuko raised an eyebrow and sighed.

"Well, tell me whenever you decide then," he said, a little disappointed.

Katara could hear the disappointment in his voice, and felt a little bad. She continued to think about his offer a little more, but unknowingly remembered something from Ba Sing Se.

"Is that how you made those attacks in Ba Sing Se?" she asked suddenly.

"Attacks?" thought Zuko before he remembered, "Oh those whips, and some of the other moves I did?"

Katara nodded.

"Not exactly…" he continued, "I mean firebending has a few whip moves, but I found the waterbending versions more effective. I just remembered how we used to fight each other and copied you."

"Oh… I see. Well it just goes to show you that water is not the inferior element that your leaders say it is," said Katara.

"You think I think the other elements are inferior?" he asked.

Katara stopped in her tracks, and stared at him unbelievably as he did the same.

"You mean to tell me you don't think that? Lots of people in the Fire Nation do," she replied.

"Well, in case you forgot, I'm not like other people in the Fire Nation," he snapped.

Zuko's expression softened.

"Sorry…" he said.

"No, its ok," she said, "That's exactly what I want to see from you: reactions."

Zuko let a sigh of relief, and continued walking, and Katara followed closely afterward. Katara decided to hold off on the conversations for a while, and let Zuko take them out of the forest. They walked for another two hours before they approached the edges of the woods, and when they got there the two of them took in the scenery.

They stood over a hill of a vast green plain untouched by any factories, or the army. It was a virgin landscape with only a single large road, and a small village in the east near where they were. The air was very clean, and the breeze softened the heat of the summer day.

"It's beautiful," said Katara.

"This place hasn't changed," said Zuko happily.

"You've been here before?" she asked trying to start up a conversation.

"Once, when I was five," said Zuko, "My mom was from here."

Katara looked at him, and saw a melancholy expression on his face.

"The village is not too far," he said, changing the subject, "We should get some supplies while we're here. The farther we are from settlements from here on out, the better."

He pulled out a rag, and wrapped it around his head, making a makeshift eye patch.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah… ready," she replied.

**Author's Notes: I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. It feels a little cliché to me; the whole "Katara and Zuko must set aside their differences to fulfill a goal" device has been used dozens if not hundreds of times in fan fictions. It also feels a little rushed in my opinion.**

**Tell me what you think of this one though, I'm curious to see how it compares to others and it could give me ideas on how to write the rest of my other story Soothing Fire.**

**Thank you for reading and please review.**

**P. S. **

**I also have an AU fan fiction called Homeless Dragon out as well. Please check it out too and tell me what you think.**


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